Audiences and Institutions Case Studies:
What We Do In the Shadows:
Release Date: 19th of January 2014 (Sundance), 19th of June 2014 (NZ)
Budget: $1.6 Billion USD
Opening Weekend: $83,555
Gross Earnings: $3.2 million (US), $2.7 million (Internationally)
Director: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
A-List/Known Actors: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clements
Distribution Agents: The Orchard, Unison, Funny or Die
Distribution: The film was initially premiered at Sundance in 2014, then at the Toronto International Film Festival next. American company, The Orchard, a subsidiary of Sony, handled distribution on the DVD, digital, and broadcasting front, whereas Unison, the studio which produced the film, organised theatrical distribution. In addition to this, Funny or Die was in charge of the release schedule and marketing initiatives.
Funding: Crowdfunding (Kickstarter), NZFC
Reviews: 98% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.6/10 IMDb
Marketing Campaigns: FindSomeone, TradeMe, Armageddon, 'Vellington' sign, Interviews, etc.
Avatar: The Way of Water:
Release Date: 16th of December 2022 (USA)
Budget: $250 million USD
Opening Weekend: $435 million (Globally)
Gross Earnings: $2.32 billion USD, $531.7 million (profits)
Director: James Cameron
A-List/Known Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Sigourney Weaver
Distribution Agent: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Distribution: The film was initially released at the premier in London on December 6, 2022, and then started being released in theatres worldwide from the 14th. The film was released in RealD, 3D, Colby Cinema, IMAX, and IMAX 3D formats. The film was released on Disney+ and Max on the 7th of June 2023, and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributed the film on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blue-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD on June 20, 2023.
Funding: NZFC (grants), Disney (likely)
Reviews: 76% Rotten Tomatoes, 7.6/10 IMDb, 4.4/5 Google
Marketing Campaigns: Vision AVTR, NYX collection, Kinder, SnapChat lens, social media, etc.
Midway:
Release Date: 8th of November 2019 (USA), 7th of November 2019 (NZ)
Budget: $100,000,000 USD
Opening Weekend: $17.5 million USD
Gross Earnings: $127.4 million USD
Director: Ronald Emmerich
A-List/Known Actors: Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Nick Jonas
Distribution Agents: Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment
Distribution: The film was theatrically released in November 2019, and was eventually released on Digital HD in February 2020, DVD and Blu-ray Ultra HD around the same time as well.
Funding: Chinese Investors, other (unclear)
Reviews: 42% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.7IMDb
Marketing Campaigns: Poster, Still Photographs, Trailers
The Interview:
Release Date: 25th of December 2014
Budget: $44 million USD
Opening Weekend: $18 million
Gross Earnings: $52.3 million USD
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
A-List/Known Actors: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Randall Park
Controversy: The film nearly started a war with North Korea, who were very unhappy with it, hacking Sony in the process.
Distribution Agents: Sony Pictures Releasing
Distribution: After the cancellation of the film's wide release, the film had a limited release in over 300 art-house cinemas. In addition to this, the film was released on streaming platforms such as Google Play, X-box video, and YouTube, as well as iTunes and on a website for a limited amount of time.
Funding: Sony Pictures
Reviews: 51% Rotten Tomatoes, 6.5/10 IMDb