Boxoffice Pro - April 2020

INDUSTRY INDIE INFLUENCERS
All images courtesy Spotlight Cinema Networks
IN THE
SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight Cinema Networks
Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
BY DANIEL LORIA
Brought to you by
The third year of the new millennium,
2002 was a historic year for the
film industry. The domestic box office
enjoyed its 17th consecutive record-breaking
year, crossing the $9 billion mark for
the first time. The biggest box office story
of the year was the crossover success
of IFC Films’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
which became an all-out box office hit.
The independent movie opened at a
modest 108 screens in April before word of
mouth carried the title from the art house
to the multiplex. By the time October
rolled around, My Big Fat Greek Wedding
hit a peak of 2,016 screens. The film played
in theaters for nearly a year, grossing a
total of $241 million throughout a 51-week
run. Its success offered a glimpse into the
potential of the art house market, a place
where different films could connect with
affluent audiences who could then fuel a
much larger run nationwide.
The film proved that the art house
market could have a significant impact
on the industry as a whole. Individually,
art house cinemas might not seem to be
make-or-break venues that can launch
Oscar hopefuls and change the fortunes of
budding filmmakers. But as a group, they
constitute arguably the most influential
community of tastemakers in the industry.
Just as My Big Fat Greek Wedding
wrapped up its theatrical run in 2003, a
new entity, called the Arthouse Marketing
Group (AMG), was formed, its sights set on
exploiting that potential through cinema
advertising. It was created as a network of
individual art house cinemas nationwide,
grouped together to create scale for
advertisers looking to reach the influential
and affluent consumers that frequent
their theaters.
For four years, AMG played a niche
role among the bigger players in cinema
advertising. To grow, the company would
need an injection of funding and new
ideas. That came in 2007 with Jerry
Rakfeldt, a marketing professional whose
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April 2020