Cinema Buzz

Another new on-line movie streaming service for home entertainment launched last week in the U.S. - FLIX Premiere.  This is the third home-oriented movie service in as many months.

Started in the U.K. in April, FLIX Premiere specializes in presenting independent movies gathered mainly from film festivals - those films that were not picked up by a major studio for theatrical distribution or by one of the bigger streamers like Netflix or Amazon.

FLIX Premiere charges $4.99 per film viewing. The scheme is to give indie films an opportunity to find an audience given their rejection from any cinema distribution.  Eight or nine films will be available each week - which indicates the huge volume of films (indie or otherwise) that don't make the distribution cut.  To be sure there is a lot of decent film product that never gets a screening either on the big or small screen, but are these the films that people are willing to pay for.

FLIX Premiere's management expects to have 2 million subscribers by year's end and be in seven countries withing the next year.  The strategy is to offer consumers alternative programming with first-to-be-seen indie movies.  CMG wishes FLIX Premiere the best but, like its failed predecessors, its road to success is very long and very steep.  The cinema stands alone as the venue to view the best in film entertainment. Home-based entertainment streamers, especially those that intend to charge a per view fee for second-tier content are doomed to fail.

Terrible Movies Do Exist (Gross Wise)

By all accounts, terrible isn't a strong enough word for the movie 'Misconduct' - from a box office perspective.  Last week it opened in the U.K. to a total gross box office of $141 over the three day weekend. Yes, that's $141!

What the hell happened?  With marquee headliners Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins starring, gross admissions added to only one person per day per cinema over the three day release.

With a production cost of $11 million (marketing costs have not been disclosed) Lionsgate was non-to-happy with the film's gross, which opened  in the U.S. last February and took-in only $24,000 over it entire run. The story-line is about a lawyer who takes on a big pharmaceutical firm. Certainly not a new plot but nonetheless should provide for a good drama=thriller, but moviegoers would have none of it.

When a movie, like 'Misconduct', which isn't a bad movie but one which does not generate any box office chatter, the choices for the studio are limited.  More marketing, which costs more money, which may never be recouped or cut-and-run and try to redeem whatever you can on VOD or royalty from one of the major streamers.

Bad things happen even with the best talent and there will certainly be many more 'Misconducts'