Distribution Strategy
The motion picture industry is highly competitive, with much of a film's success depending on the skill of its distribution strategy. The Company has planned out a clear path to financial success for God’s Glass, by building buzz through the European marketplace then making our biggest profits off of digital distribution.
Europe has a long history of using art to explore themes of unconventional love — in contrast to the more puritanical American marketplace — which is why darker, hard-edged films have historically earned more money in Europe than elsewhere. For this reason, the Company intends to open the distribution campaign for God’s Glass in the European marketplace — in order to build word of mouth.
Here are some recent examples of darker, edgier films performing better in Europe than America:
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Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) grossed $2.2 million in the U.S., but grossed $8.39 million in France, $2.04 million in Italy, $1.11 million in Spain and $1.07 million in the U.K.
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Shame (2011) grossed $3.9 million in the U.S., but grossed $2.29 million in France, $1.07 million in Germany, $1.39 million in Italy, $1.4 million in Spain and $3.2 million in the United Kingdom.
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Nymphomaniac Part 1 (2014) grossed $785,896 in the United States, but grossed over $1 million in Denmark, $1.37 million in Germany, $1.16 million in Italy, $809,186 in Poland, $1.8 million in Russia, and $624,968 in Spain.
Stage One
With European audiences more receptive to edgy films than American audiences, the Company will begin our distribution strategy by targeting the most prominent European film festivals for our film’s premiere. Examples include:
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Berlin International Film Festival — February
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Cannes Film Festival — May
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BFI London Film Festival — October
We will use publicity from the European festivals to try to book a domestic distributor for the film, as well as an international sales agent to handle worldwide distribution. For domestic distributors, we will target the A24, Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, IFC, and Sony Pictures Classics. For international sales agents, we will target Village Roadshow, Arclight Films, Spotlight Pictures, and Shoreline Entertainment.
Following a successful European festival run, we will bring the film to prominent North American festivals to run out of competition. We will aim for these festivals:
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Sundance Film Festival — January
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South by Southwest — March
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Toronto International Film Festival — September
We intend to use these festivals to build buzz for a North American theatrical release.
Stage Two
Once buzz has begun to build for God’s Glass, we will launch the film in European theaters accompanied by an aggressive viral advertising campaign. Hashtag #GodsGlass will be trending on Twitter by the time the film hits its first theaters, with the goal of creating a snowballing level of anticipation for the film.
When publicity reaches its peak, between one and three months after the European release, we will launch the film in North American theaters.
Stage Three
When theatrical box office grosses begin to dwindle, we will use the hashtag #GodsGlass campaign to ready audiences for the film’s biggest push: Digital distribution. The company intends to blitz the digital marketplace by making the film available on a same-day worldwide release across all platforms: Comcast On-Demand, Time Warner Cable On-Demand, YouTube on-demand, Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, PlayStation, Xbox, Redbox, as well as comparable services overseas.
Most films earn a lion’s share of their profits off of the home video and digital marketplaces, and we expect God’s Glass to do likewise.
Stage Four
When the digital sales begin to wind down, we will release the film on Blu-ray and DVD. This will be our final push: Own God’s Glass forever on disc.
We believe that God’s Glass is a film that will grow thematically richer the more times customers watch it, which is why we want them to purchase disc copies. We want them to notice new things every time they see the film. We want them to show it to their friends and family, and start a real conversation about unconventional love in the modern world.