Specialty Films and Release Dates: Choosing That Special Day
Posted by Jim on Thursday, January 28, 2010 in Author • Jeremy Juuso - Specialty Film Researcher and Consultant • Film Blogs • Film Business Planning • Film Revenue & ROI • (2) Comments • Permalink •
Overall, some 420+ specialty films were released in 2009, with an average of about eight new ones per weekend. Here’s a breakdown:
Very slow weekends (fewer than five new releases) occurred five times: twice in February and once in January, September, and December. Four of these weekends were holiday weekends (New Year’s Day ‘09, Presidents’ Day, Labor Day, and Christmas), while the other one, February 20-22, occurred the week after Presidents’ Day.
Very active weekends (greater than 11 new releases) occurred 10 times and didn’t seem to have much rhyme or reason as to their occurrences. It’s actually a bit of a misnomer to say that these were “very active” weekends; they should be called “super active” for the fact that an average of eight a week is already very busy.
Overall, as you can see, March, August, and mid-September into October were the most active time periods. March appears to have been bursting at the seams due to specialty films having taken a break in January and February, while August, September, and October were the typical hot spots for launch dates into, and during, awards season. Unfortunately for these hot spots, the awards results were not very productive, if the Golden Globes serve as any indication. Of the 17 specialty films released for 2009 that were nominated, or whose talent were nominated, for non-musical categories at the 2009 Golden Globes, 14 were released outside of August, September, and October.
So what can we say from all of this?
Well, if you are deciding on a specialty release in 2010 and don’t care about awards, a good starting point might be to explore holiday weekends. And if you do care about awards, take a look at November and December.
Otherwise, pick up a dartboard, get yourself a giant calendar, and give it your best shot. Who knows, you might end up being the first indie film released in January to pick up an Oscar in March – of the following year!
Jeremy Juuso (www.jeremyjuuso.com)
Author
Getting the Money: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Business Plans for Film Jeremy Juuso is author of ‘Getting the Money: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Business Plans for Film’ (available nationwide) and ‘The AKA Report,’ the only quarterly survey of specialty films and their financing sources. He consults with filmmakers and movie investors through Jeremy Juuso Consulting and serves as financial advisor to Fly High Films. Jeremy graduated cum laude in economics from Harvard College.
