This has been an amazing week.
Our first HDNet Films day and date movie, Enron – The Smartest Guys in the Room was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Category! How cool is that !
This movie, which premiered in theaters (mostly Landmark and independent screens) and on HDNet Movies the same day, grossed 4mm plus in theaters to make it the 14th largest grossing doc of all time. Not too shabby !!! My only regret about Enron ? Is that we didnt have Magnolia Home Entertainment in place to distribute the DVD on the same day the movie was released. Although the release of the DVD has done incredibly well, reaching #5 on the Amazon top seller list, we left a ton of money on the table by not being able to release it on the same day it was released in theaters and on HDNet Movies.
It probably cost us hundred of thousands of units in sales, if not more. The number of DVDs of Enron we are selling now, just from our Landmark Theaters suggest that the sell through to people seeing the film would have been enormous. The sell through from all the excitement of the release, particularly in markets where we didnt show the film, would have been great.
Then we would have gotten a new bump from the Oscar nomination this week. And then another bump for winning the WGA Award for Best Documentary. Great job Alex. We live and learn.I cant wait to see the Hunter S Thompson documentary Alex is currently doing for us, and the Herbie Hancock Movie is increcible. The duet with Herbieand Christina Aquillar will be featured in the Grammys !
The bigger moral of the story is that when you have amazing people creating amazing films, like Alex Gibney and Enron, although people may choose to invest in different ways to watch each movie, they will want to watch it, and that is always what matters.
Which is exactly why we are thrilled about the Magnolia Pictures release of “The Worlds Fastest Indian“. This is a great family movie that will have you walking out of the theater laughing and cheering, whether you are 10, 20, 30, 40 or 80 years old. Anthony Hopkins gives an amazing performance that he called his favorite of any movie he has done. Weare so fired up about it, we decided to buy an ad in the Super Bowl for it !
The movie opens today. So go see it. The commercial will be shown in the third quarter (lets hope its a close gamein the 3rd quarter and the Steelers blow them out and pull away in the 4th !)
And of course there is no doubt everyone will let me know what they think about all of the above !
It’s funny how you expect people to respect your decisions as a businessman but won’t respect someone like Shyamalan’s decisions as a film maker. Funny, I wouldn’t have even called you on the simultaneous release thing if that guy John hadn’t attempted to defend you for disrespecting Shyamalan.
Comment by runescape money -
I’m not even mad that they only gave me $20 dollars back on my extended warranty (that cost around $300) on the computer I bought from them that was stolen three weeks later when my apartment was robbed.
Comment by wow powerleveling -
Hello,
Why is it so hard for many companies to offers caption on all of vidoes, movies, TV news, etc. We now face biggest challenge is video online and none of them offers captions right now. (Like CNN, CBS, ABC, Starz, TIVO, etc.)
Maybe you can help push make it possible — so other companies will do it too.
Thanks!
Grant
Comment by Grant W Laird Jr -
Herb Greenberg mentioned Mark Cuban on CNBC today. Unfortunately I only caught the end of the segment. CNBC displayed numbers on the screen that represented the decline in movie ticket sales over the past few years. I think the allusion to Mr. Cuban was in the context of simultaneous movie releases in theatres and on DVD.
Comment by John -
Worlds Fastest Indian – Pretty good family movie – Anthony Hopkins gives an amazing performance.
Comment by jay -
Mark,
Thanks for writing about the Worlds Fastest Indian, I wasn’t sure if i was going to go see it now I think I will. It sounds like it should be a good laugh. Anthony Hopkins is usually a fun actor to watch.
Derrick
Everything Sunglasses
Comment by Derrick Pizur -
Since it’s been 2 days since I raised the issue and Mark Cuban has remained silent about it – guess he’s too busy printing up “Bucket Boy” t-shirts with Phil Jackson’s mug on them.
The folks at Magnolia films told the Academy that the film opened on April 15 for its qualifying run. Where was this low profile screening? Was it at a Magic Johnson theater? He needs to declare if “Enron” played a commerical theater a week before it showed up on HDNet and debunk the myth of “Never Before in Oscar History has…” that his company is cranking out. Could I have bought a ticket and seen Enron in a movie theater a week before I could pay-per-view it on HDNet Movies?
I’ve yet to attend a Mav’s game. Does the concession stand sell duck?
Comment by Joe Corey -
OT:
I had a dream last night. More like a vision. The future revealed itself within my mind’s eye….
The two teams that will be competing for the NBA Championship this year will be facing off tonight, Mavs vs Heat. Tonight’s outcome is very significant….The winning team will ultimately become the 2006 NBA Champion….
Jim Parham
Yuba City, CA
Comment by StockMaverick -
Hey mark,
Your as innovative in advertising as in life. Keep up the good work. Enron movie was great.
Thanks, Richard Bowles
Comment by Richard Bowles -
Yes Mark…how about THAT Super Bowl? Talking about having officials in a pocket…if everything was dealt with fairly we all know the official score would have been 17/14 Hawks!
Comment by Joanne Richards -
Joe:
Be that as it may, it seems odd that this publicist told you that, yet I can’t find a record of these screenings ever having taken place. Judging by the Academy rules, they’d be difficult to miss (after all, one needs to have “paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in either Los Angeles County or the Borough of Manhattan in New York for a run of at least seven consecutive days” and in “at least four additional cities.”
I’m not disbelieving you, I’m just trying to find a source for when and where these screenings took place.
Comment by John -
I’m a new Dallas resident (for a year) and I was at the game last night (I got a partial season ticket plan this year). I thought it was called pretty fair and I don’t understand Phil’s whining in the press, but he’s been doing that for years…of course, I also can’t understand how you can rock out to “Dr. Feelgood” before the game gets going.
Comment by Dennis Koniecki -
But the real question for you this week Mr. C, is how about them refs in the Super Bowl?? Being a man that is constantly watching every move of officials, what are your thoughts on the zebras in the game? (Yes we all saw you were rooting for the Steelers, but we also all saw the horrific outcome of the game decided by the refs.)
Comment by Alex B -
The World’s Fastest Indian qualifies as one of my top five favorite movies already. Anthony Hopkins may be the only actor you can think of that has not been in a bad movie. He simply does not make bad movies. Burt Munro was an authentic hero, quirks and all. That’s what makes him authentic.
Comment by Mike Swenson -
I was told about the qualifying run by a publicist for the Oscars.
Comment by Joe Corey -
Good commentary. Now if you’ll just stop intimidating NBA officials…
Comment by phil jackson -
Joe:
Out of curiosity, where are you getting the info that Enron completed its qualifying run between April 15 and April 21? The only info I could find for before April 22 was that there were special event screenings and the blogger screenings.
Comment by John -
Mark (or anyone who knows),
What is the status on installing new digital projector technology in Landmark Theaters? I’m in Atlanta and since I don’t get HDNet (will we ever get HDNet through comcast, btw?), I was wondering if I would be treated to a glorious HD picture if I headed down to the Landmark in the ATL to check out the flick.
Comment by AR -
I miss Earl Strom, Jake O’Donnell and Mendy Rudolph. I know you could not have “controlled” them as the Lakers have deemed you thusly capable in today’s game. Congratulations, anyway, on the high praise from team purple.
Comment by Mark -
you are the inspirational, making all the noise to the NBA, get all the calls for your team to get easier win.
i don’t understand how the Lakers are going to win the game, if they have to play 5 against 8. you can’t beat the referees. no matter how good you are. maybe the Lakers should buy some of them, or pay them to play for them, too. maybe we can win lot more games!!!????
you’re the best. i hope you can help the Lakers, too.
Comment by khang -
according to the rules: The Qualifying Exhibition: The film must be publicly exhibited for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in either Los Angeles County or the Borough of Manhattan in New York for a run of at least seven consecutive days, between 10 am and midnight,
This free passes for bloggers for 2 shows doesn’t count. According to the rules the only way to qualify is to debut your film in a movie theater that anyone can buy a ticket for – not an invitation only screening.
if Mark Cuban claims that “Enron” didn’t debut in a commercial theater before it appeared on HDNet, then it never qualified properly. And if it did premiere in a theater a week before it aired on HDNet Movies, than claiming: “It was the first film to be distributed in the ground-breaking day-and-date release strategy, making a joint debut in both theatres and on HDNet Movies on the same day, April 22nd, 2005” is misleading.
Comment by Joe Corey -
Excuse me, I meant, “and they are, with certain provisos, availble to the general public.”
Comment by John -
Joe:
According to this*, the film had preview screenings on April 15. Since these are special screenings with limited passes (but are stilled paid for) I do believe they still fit within the Academy framework. Also, they are not available to the general public to watch.
Again, though, perhaps Mark will answer the question more completely.
*http://www.cinematical.com/2005/04/13/enron-the-smartest-guys-in-the-room-screening-passes-for-blog/
Comment by John -
So are all Mark’s new posts going to be plugging his own business ventures?!?! What happened to all the intellectual posts we had going on last month!?!?!? No more PLUGS for a few weeks… PLEASE!!
Comment by John Pearson -
I have a major complaint and since Michael Dell has been plugged as a great guy in these blogs, I decided I’d start here.
I’m not mad at Dell for outsourcing their customer service and tech support to India even though they’re disrespectful to women when we call for support and treat us like idiots (forget the degree on my wall).
I’m not even mad that they only gave me $20 dollars back on my extended warranty (that cost around $300) on the computer I bought from them that was stolen three weeks later when my apartment was robbed.
But I am FURIOUS to hear that because my boss paid off her home computer early, DELL reported her to the IRS, for the lost income from the interest, and she got dinged for $380.00 for that!
Now tell me, how in the he** does Mr. Dell expect returning customers when that’s the kind of thanks he gives us? Forget that if you have a dell you can’t upgrade with regular parts, or that if you have a DELL printer you have to buy DELL ink cartridges. What kind of Fascist penalizes his own customers?
Crazy to me, I’m telling everyone I know, apparently this law that allowed DELL to do this, allows credit card companies, virtually anyone you owe a debt to, to do this. I can see that practical application, IF YOU OWE SOMEONE MONEY!!! Not for paying off a bit early ?!?!?!?!
Mr. Cuban I know you read these responses, I’m eager to hear what you think about this.
Comment by Sabrina -
According to the Academy: “Enron” had completed is qualifying run between April 15 and April 21. On April 22 it went into wide release as well as running on HD Net.
This means that Mark Cuban is Freying us with his fudging of numbers in order to pump up his movie. Was the general public’s first chance to buy a movie ticket to “Enron” the same day that it it showed on HDNet Movie? Because if it was, there’s no Oscar for Enron. And if it wasn’t, then Cuban allowed HDNet to put out a fake press release to hype a lie.
Who is getting yanked at this point?
Comment by Joe Corey -
World’s Fastest Indian sounds intriguing… is there a link to the movie trailer? I didn’t catch the ad in the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl. thx – Jonathan Hernandez
Comment by Jonathan Hernandez -
Joe:
Academy Rules state:
“The film may be transmitted via television or the internet after the Qualifying Exhibition if it meets both of the following conditions: 1) a minimum of 25 commercial public exhibitions for paid admission in motion picture theaters, each exhibition to be at least two consecutive days, in fifteen states. (Exhibitions held at festivals, benefits, special events and the like do not qualify under this provision.) 2) an official Academy form that documents the above exhibitions must be submitted and received by the Academy Awards office prior to any television or internet transmission.”
According to this website*, the limited release was on April 22, 2005, as well as the premiere on HDNet. Now, as the rules state, there must be a documented paper submitted to the Academy for this prior to broadcast. It does not say that they must have taken place specifically, so I imagine that they submitted a release prior to the engagements since they were scheduled to run for such-and-such a time.
Perhaps Mark can illuminate us, though.
*http://www.hd.net/pressrelease.html?2006-01-31-01.html
Comment by John -
The Worlds Fastest Indian is a great movie and I fully recommend anyone who gets the chance go see it.
Comment by Paul -
How did Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room qualify for the Oscar nomination since it aired on TV the same day it opened in theaters?
Comment by Joe Corey -
How did Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room qualify for the Oscar nomination since it aired on TV the same day it opened in theaters?
Comment by Joe Corey -
Mark Brandon –
I just wanted to remind you that Mark Cuban DOES play commercials at Landmark Theatres. In fact, before Cuban and Wagner bought the chain, Landmark did not play ads, just 7 minutes of trailers. This may well be a business ripe for a shakeup, but, at least on the exhibition end, its not coming from Cuban.
Comment by future_of_film -
Cant wait to see the documentary on Hunter S Thompson. Also, everyone I know that saw the preview on the worlds fastest indian wants to see the movie. I hate the theaters here. They suck. Last time I went I got my wallet stolen. I support your approach to marketing movies. When I see a movie I dont want to listen to a bunch of people yelling and clapping and I dont want to have to watch for pickpockets and I want to sit down and actually watch a movie and drink a beer. In a nice pint glass.
Comment by Brian -
Disappointed in the seahawks, but maybe next year!
Comment by Chris -
I’m sure you noticed the favorable review of your business model, but the not-so-favorable review of Bubble in the latest issue of Fortune. It is at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/02/06/8367927/index.htm.
Kudos on shaking up this dinosaur of an industry. Exhibitors have a deteriorating model. Piled on top of the perfect storm of mediocre fare from hollywood, alternative methods of distribution, and competition from new media, exhibitors have chosen to make the experience less worthy of the ever-escalating ticket price. When I was a kid, it was implied that paying for a ticket entitled you to no advertising. My latest trip to the theater included about 10 minutes of product spots BEFORE the previews. This is a business ripe for a shakeup.
Mark Brandon
Sustainable Log – News and Views for Socially Responsible Investors
http://sustainablelog.blogspot.com
http://www.firstsustainable.com
We’re giving $1 to Alternative Gifts International for every new subscriber
Comment by Mark Brandon -
Hey Mark…what happened to the Fastest Indian ad on SuperBowl. I was eagerly waiting to see it and was kind of dissappointed it didnt show up.
Comment by Chuk -
Mark
I greatly admire your chutzpah but I did want to take issue here. I honestly don’t think you missed out on “hundreds of thousands of units” in sales. Even had you controlled the audiences of a Yahoo and could direct all front-page visitors for weeks to an online store, you would not see those kinds of figures, you simply wouldn’t. Irrespective of your entrepreneurial prowess, the friction surrounding online sales is great enough that you’re better off having done the harder part (making the DVD available at the point of purchase) where you’ve got a genuinely captive viewer who also happens to be a pre-qualified lead (they’ve already COME to see, say ENRON.) You’d see bumps, maybe thousands of units and ten thousand over the first year, but you are simply not going to see 100,000 direct units.
In fact, I suspect people who see a “Buy the DVD Now” that leads them into Amazon are more likely to convert than would those who were dumped into some Magnolia store (where, what, they probably have to register in order to purchase?) Pavlovian conditioning kicks in as soon as someone lands inside the mighty river of commerce. Something about that frackin’ 1-Click monster. You’ve already got set nets in the water (HDNet, Landmark, Amazon, etc) and are capturing sales. Whatever store you get going is going to be paltry against these channels, a few fishhooks in the water. worth it, maybe… as much for the email addresses to market to… But forget about seeing $2.5 million in direct dvd sales on ENRON.
HOWEVER!
Having said all that, I think making digital downloads of your films (particularly iPod and PSP ready versions) represents the better long term play. Time to partner with Apple or Google and get your Digital Downloads on. THAT’S a genuine advancement. And I don’t know why, but I’m far more disposed to purchase a digital film to watch on my iPod than the corresponding DVDs. I got LOST on my iPod, but I’m not going to plunk down the money for new LOST DVDs. I’d sooner buy ENRON for my dinky little iPod at $9 than I would the cardboard/plastic encapsulated DVD version at $24.95 (plus shipping)
I’m sure you get this all the time but… you’re a billionaire… make it happen!
Comment by R. Montgomery -
Congrats on the awards and nominations.
Comment by Amy -
aah.. the theaters can sell copies of the movie just shown after the movie as an impulse purchase for the people that wanna see it again…
Comment by Izzy -
I got the Enron movie via Netflix on Friday and watched it that night. It was a very good documentary, its a pity that sort of crap goes on in big business but not surprising.
Comment by Scott Cropper -
Hey Mark,
I went to my local Blockbuster (Euless) and they didn’t have Bubble. They told me to go to blockbuster.com to see if any other local stores might have it, a few did, most did not. Is this purely coincidental or is there something to this. It seems like my local Blockbuster has every other new DVD release. I did complain, I don’t know if it will help, but I did it anyway.
I ended up placing it on my Netflix Queue, which at the moment says, “Very Long Wait”, I hope that’s a good sign for you.
Thanks,
Philip
Comment by Philip Shoffner -
Hi Marc…congrats Marc and all hdnetfilms employees! Way too Cool indeed!
Marc, and fellow bloggers, thought this was sort of on topic and if for nothing else, an interesting read, enjoy and GO MAVS!! GO STEELERS!!!
All the best,
sonofgodzilla
Concert sold out? Go to the movies
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-02-02-movie-concerts_x.htm
http://bigscreenconcerts.com/
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-02-02-movie-concerts_x.htm
Comment by sonofgodzilla -
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW….
mark cuban and company are experimenting with next-generation movie distribution via day-and-date release….
sounds like a great idea….WHY not give consumers WHAT they want?
….ladies and gentlemen, step right up….
for your viewing pleasure….new movies WHEN you want!…WHERE you want!…and HOW you want!
WHO, amongst you, dares desire a simultaneous release of varied viewing options? ….step right up!!
another steven soderbergh experience….
with ‘bubble’ the movie, steven soderbergh experimented by using ordinary folks in place of professional actors….
i have a suggestion for a new moviemaking, or more precisely, script writing, experiment….
WHY not develop a screenplay online with the audience, perhaps via a weblog? plot, characters and dialog could be written as a collective experience? WHY not produce a story told by joe average, john q. public, and jim everyman (that would be me)….
a movie ‘for the people, by the people’….
HOW cool is that!
http://www.hdnetfilms.com/news/index.html
http://www.hdnetfilms.com/submissions/index.html
Jim Parham
Yuba City, CA
Comment by StockMaverick -
I will be looking for that commercial Mark, that seems like a good movie cant wait to see it.
FireFoxJimmyJm.Blogspot.com
Comment by Jimmy J -
I was in Houston this week covering the NAPE oil expo and broke away to check out the media circus outside the Enron trial..
It was wierd..One door with a bunch of media tents. In honer of Lou Pai I went to a strip club
Andrew
http://www.streetiq.com
Comment by Andrew Coffey -
The reason enron wasnt available day and date on DVD is because our DVD company, Magnolia Home Entertainment wasnt up and running yet
Comment by Mark Cuban -
After repeatedly posting my complaint here that the Enron DVD wasn’t available at the same time as the film was released, I can’t help but feel a modicum of vindication by your post! And yet the question remains- WHY would you event want to cede so much of the online, direct retail revenue to Amazon- when you could be selling the DVD yourself to the end user via your official Enron film site? I know you don’t need a refresher on disintermediation!
Comment by Dan Newit -
Looks like Cuban took down one of my posts that more clearly outlined why his simultaneous release strategy is so self-serving. But I would expect no less.
Comment by James King -
Hey Mark, your blog is so booooring, please write more about shorting this bloated American stock market, and leave the movie talk to somebody else.
http://www.googleversus.us
Comment by JD -
Re why WFI and GNGL are not day and date, we dont own those films. They are co produced or distributed
Movies that we own are made under HDNet Films and they are day and date
And day and date is at best buy, hollywood video, walmarts, and many other retailers. If you cant find it locally, you can buy it online at http://www.amazon.com, http://www.walmart.com and other online retailers
Comment by Mark Cuban -
I’m a big fan. Go Mavs. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do in the motion picture buisness
Comment by S. G. -
I’m a big fan. Go Mavs. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do in the motion picture buisness
Comment by S. G. -
Why isn’t “The World’s Fastest Indian” coming out on HD Net and DVD today, too?
I thought that was your new business model, Mark?
I’m definitely going to see the film in the theater — NOTHING beats the in-theater experience for me — but tonight I’m having friends over, and we all could have watched it on HD Net.
For that matter, where’s the DVD for “Good Night, and Good Luck?” Why can’t I find the DVD of “The War Within?”
Comment by Ken Carpenter -
Well, since you pretty much confirmed everything I wrote in the last post, what can I say? Ultimately, it’s all the benjamins… if it was about the movies, you’d subsidize your movie projects with other business ventures and not worry about making a profit.
It’s funny how you expect people to respect your decisions as a businessman but won’t respect someone like Shyamalan’s decisions as a film maker. Funny, I wouldn’t have even called you on the simultaneous release thing if that guy John hadn’t attempted to defend you for disrespecting Shyamalan. But that and reading posts from people treating you like some kind of hero for simply exercising good business sense was insulting. There are many TRUE heroes out there who deserve the attention that you steal from being a billionaire. You’re business acumen speaks for itself (though I personally think a lot of it is smoke and mirrors) but that doesn’t make you someone worthy respect, especially when you show so little to others to don’t agree with you.
Comment by James King -
Very cool. Enjoyable read. Your critical thinking and written communication skills are a great combination. Content is King. New Content is even more powerful. Creative and effectively managed change is a beautiful thing. Thanks for the inspiration.
Comment by Richard Hanley -
Well, since you pretty much confirmed everything I wrote in the last post, what can I say? Ultimately, it’s all the benjamins… if it was about the movies, you’d subsidize your movie projects with other business ventures and not worry about making a profit.
It’s funny how you expect people to respect your decisions as a businessman but won’t respect someone like Shyamalan’s decisions as a film maker. Funny, I wouldn’t have even called you on the simultaneous release thing if that guy John hadn’t attempted to defend you for disrespecting Shyamalan. But that and reading posts from people treating you like some kind of hero for simply exercising good business sense was insulting. There are many TRUE heroes out there who deserve the attention that you steal from being a billionaire. You’re business acumen speaks for itself (though I personally think a lot of it is smoke and mirrors) but that doesn’t make you someone worthy respect, especially when you show so little to others to don’t agree with you.
Comment by James King -
Dang, I saw the title, and the first thing that came to mind was Jim Thorpe.
Am I really too unhip to be reading this website?
Comment by Jeremy G -
mark
good stuff, as always. you will soon learn how
important the Indian brand is in world. not
just America, but the world.
i touched on it in my blog:
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/ski?id=110
i hope this movie gets better distro than Enron.
i looked for over a week to find a copy. the
ONLY place in south florida that i could find
it was best buy.
-ski
Comment by ski -
Isn’t there some sort of rule for releasing DVDs around the same time as the theater release, even for documentaries? Or is it just that no one ever does for financial reasons?
Comment by Will -
I loved the movie. Bought it & watched it, because of this blog. It did seem to make attempts at trashing Bush, like he had a large hand in it or something.
Comment by Kirk -
Wow, was thrilled to see you mention the World’s Fastest Indian. The movie is not only from my country (New Zealand) but that city potrayed, if you remember it’s called something along the lines of “Invercargill,” is my hometown!
It’s a true story for anyone that wants to know.
I never knew it even got released in the U.S. There was a big hype here, I certainly watched it as did many, but never expected it to get released there, furthermore have its own Superbowl Ad! If this turns out to be a huge success, I haven’t been happier for any other movie. Thanks for your mention, I’m not involved with the movie but it still feels like I am.
Comment by Sid Yadav -
Congrats on what looks like a fun movie, with an original story!….oh about 150 er 60
Did Bubble pop or hit the mark with the new release format? I saw a trailer that killed some of the buzz for me…
Comment by mrbshouse -
The link to the Hunter S Thompson movie requires IMDB membership, any one have more info on it?
Comment by Ryan -
The link to the Hunter S Thompson movie requires IMDB membership, any one have more info on it?
Comment by Ryan -
I wonder if we’ll every really learn what happened at Enron, and not just what has been fed the main stream media and manipulatons by Enron exec attorneys?
The public has a right to know! BTW- I wonder if they’ve hid all their money yet before they go to jail??
Comment by Go Mavs -