*Theatrical*’s New Multiple Cycles Of Release
NonDē Distribution Tactics further explored -- Pt 7 of INVISIBLE NATION's Distribution Case Study.
Back when we had second-run movie theaters, distributors recognized that there were multiple cycles in a theatrical release –- and they used them to their advantage. That said, the cycles were built around ticket pricing, which in turn was built around how long a film had been out, or how it fell in popularity. The only real “strategy” to this was to milk every penny possible from a title.
So much was different then, but we have a tendency to get stuck in the rut of legacy practices. Our goals change but we don’t alter our tactics. We don’t even think about doing something different, even when the results stop comparing to the fruits of days gone by. Get off that horse. Time to ride a new pony, Charlie.
When we look at where we are now in terms of cinema exhibition, I suspect it will be revealed that we are just at the start of The Era Of Disintermediation Of Film Distribution. Like all the other cultural industries, the middle people are going to go bye-bye. This generally happens in two directions at once and you can see that is true too here in cinemaland. It is both a bottom-up and a top-down simultaneous rocking of the house. There might even be a force coming in from sideways!
The bottom up is NonDē. We are not going to be grossing beaucoup big bucks, so The Bigs leave us alone to do what’s best for ourselves. And we have found it. Enter the era of slow, dynamic, NonDē distribution.
But those on the top also recognize what’s tin roof rusted and should no longer be trusted. That is… except the ones that could be doing that but haven’t woken up to it yet. Instead of owning their films, they are content to neither be true beneficiaries of their labor, nor control what they have a wee bit more. To the great creators of cinema, I have two words for you: Taylor Swift. She knows.
Once the Nolans, Del Toros, Cuarons, Tarantinos and all those other “cinema bad boys” recognize that Taylor knows better than they do, everything will change. But for now, let it be said, it has already changed, and they are leaving money — and something much, much more valuable — on the table. They could be owning their own audience and with it, possibilities blossom like bunny rabbits.
NonDē is now building the RBP (Recommended Best Practice) list. We will be the test kitchen. We will fail and then we will fail better. We will iterate and innovate and leap frog over those turtles’ backs. Will we get any thanks? Nah, probably not. Will we get rich? Nope. Can we have fun and figure out a way to make the ecosystem work for us far better than it does now? Can we make the world safe for ambitiously authored cinema again? Youbetcha!
So the first rule of theatrical exhibition in this new era is that theatrical exhibition is not just ONE thing. You don’t just release or have your film released and call it distribution. Theatrical distribution is once again something of cycles. But there are many more now. And it is not as simple as a first run with a lower priced second run like in the old ‘n goldens.
The new era of distribution cycles is something else altogether. Multiple new cycles of theatrical release have emerged, and the NonDē Cinema-maker needs to plan for them from the beginning. Really, all filmmakers should, and so should the distributors, but that’s another story altogether.
First, let’s clarify what these cycles are. You still have seven fingers, yes? Good. You can count the ways with me now, yeah. And then we will break down what each of them are. Sweet.
