News & Reviews » Warner Brothers

Warner Independent Tests Custom Local TV Spots with Spot Runner

Movie Marketing Update — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:18:45 +0000

According to Adweek, Warner Independent Pictures used Spot Runner, a web-based service for local TV ad buys, to promote the release of 'The Painted Veil' in late December. Warner ran the spots in 18 markets where the film was playing, and tagged each commercial with the names of the actual theaters where the film could be seen. Preliminary research from the studio has shown greater ticket sales in some markets where the ads have played, although the overall costs of the ad buy were comparable to traditional buys. All in all, the move is reminiscent of the voice-tagged local commercials indie distributors used nearly 40 years ago to drive audiences to their low budget "sword-and-sandal" pictures.

There is one point that needs to be closely scrutinized, however: The article notes that Warner had 36 custom spots developed. While the costs of tagging each ad and the related production expenses are probably low, it would be interesting to see what this campaign's overall ROI was when compared to a more traditional TV ad campaign.

In just over two weeks of release, 'The Painted Veil' has grossed $720,000 on 72 screens, according to Box Office Mojo.

Warner Bows ‘The Lake House’ Simultaneously on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray

Movie Marketing Update — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:54:10 +0000

Today Warner Home Video announced that they will be releasing 'The Lake House' simultaneously on standard DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.

With a September 26th street date, Warner will be the first studio to release titles in all formats. They will also be releasing the film as a combo disc, with a high definition DVD on one side and SD DVD on the other side, priced at $39.99. The Blu-ray version will be available for $34.99 SRP. And a standard DVD will cost $28.98. The bonus materials will be available on all versions, though Warner did not disclose if they would be in high definition on the HD DVD and Blue-ray versions.

'The Lake House' is a time-travel romance starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, and is a remake of a recent Korean film. Warner may be banking on the geek appeal of the filmâ€™s plot and Keanu Reeveâ€™s Matrix pedigree to appeal to the early adopters who are currently the biggest segment of the high definition player owners.

In theatrical release this past summer, 'The Lake House' took in $52.3 million domestically and $49 million overseas, coming in at #38 for 2006.