[Mononoke] Rallying Cry: Important test marketing in Minneapolis!
RyoToyama@aol.com
Thu, 4 Nov 1999 21:43:45 EST
From: RyoToyama@aol.com
Message-ID: <0.65e40914.25539e61@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 21:43:45 EST
Subject: [Mononoke] Rallying Cry: Important test marketing in Minneapolis!
To: mh-announce@nausicaa.net
Dear anime fans:
This weekend, Princess Mononoke will be released in 13 theaters in
Minneapolis/St. Paul area, while other big cities such as NY and LA get only
2 or 3 theaters for Mononoke per city.
This is because Miramax is using Minneapolis/St. Paul as a test market. If
Mononoke does well in this market, they will give it a wide release.
Currently, Mononoke is in "limited release" status, which means, it's
released in the top 20 market, in a couple of theaters (mostly art theaters)
per market. But if it does well in Minneapolis this weekend, it will be
released in more cities, in more theaters.
So, this is a make or break situation. It is extremely important for Mononoke
to do well in this market.
If you live around Minneapolis/St. Paul area, please go see the film. See it
several times if you like the film. Please take your friends/relatives with
you. Please fill the theater up.
If you do not live in this area, but know someone who does, please tell them
to go. Mononoke will be even shown at the theater in the Mall of America, so
how about a weekend shopping trip to Minnesota? (The entire list of theaters
that show PM in Minneapolis/St. Paul is available at
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mh/release.html )
The Nausicaa.Net often receives e-mails from desperate fans who want to know
if Mononoke is coming to their town. Unless they live in the 20 big cities,
we have to tell them, "It's up to Miramax." But now, you can help Mononoke
to reach these people's towns. You can make your fellow anime fans all
around the US happy.
It is also considered that the success of Mononoke can open the door to other
anime titles. If Miramax make good deal of money with Mononoke, other
companies will consider bringing more anime titles to the US, with serious
money in post production (dubbing) and marketing. If you want to see more
anime titles in theater, please help Mononoke to be a success.
You can also help Mononoke to reach Americans who have never seen anime in
their life, or have negative opinion about it. They might not like anime even
after watching Mononoke, but give them a chance to judge anime by one of its
best works. And frankly speaking, I think that Mononoke is a great film,
animated or not, and I think that it's a great loss to the American audience
(as well as to the film itself), if they did not get a chance to see it.
They may not like the film after all. But at least give them a chance to
judge it by themselves.
So do it for fellow anime fans. Do it for potential Mononoke fans who are
yet to know that this film exists. And do it for yourself. This is a great
film, and meant to be seen in a theater (video won't do justice to it). You
will have a good time.
You can make a difference. Please do.
Ryoko, a member of Team Ghiblink