Godzilla

[gregory starr]

At 6:27 PM 98.6.1, Mark Schilling wrote:
> From: Mark Schilling (schill at gol.com)
> To: KineJapan (KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu)
> Suject: Godzilla
> Date: Monday,. June 1, 1998
>
> I've been reading the posts on Godzilla with interest, especially Aaron's
> reports on the wide shows. But though complaining that Hollywood has
> trashed a Japanese icon may make a good talking point for a wide show
> tarento, Toho expects the film to do enormous business here. The following
> is an excerpt from a marketing campaign report I wrote recently for Screen
> International that attempts to explain why.
>
> Toho, which killed off its own Godzilla in the 22nd installment of the
> series  -- the 1995 Godzilla vs. Destroyah -- and is distributing Roland
> Emmerich's replacement in Japan, is convinced that none of the critical
> carping will matter at the box office. "It's going to be the event movie of
> the summer" says Toho publicist Masahiko Suzuki, "We're projecting film
> rentals of Y10 billion ($73 million), or about the same as The Princess
> Mononoke and Titanic."
>       To achieve this figure, Toho is mounting what Suzuki describes as "an
> orthodox campaign" that bears only a passing resemblance to Sony's
> year-long promo blitz. The company has hung a poster on a twin tower that
> is a Ginza landmark saying that Godzilla is "as tall as this building," but
> has not plastered Tokyo with posters saying that "size does matter."
> "Japanese already know how big Godzilla is," says Suzuki. "We don't have to
> spend a lot of money reminding them."
>       Working with a relatively small promotional budget compared with its
> US counterpart, Toho is saving its big guns for the month before the film's
> July 11 opening, when it will saturate the market with TV and print ads, as
> well as posters in trains and train stations.  The target of this campaign
> will be a wide demographic, including young adults in their twenties and
> thirties that are the core movie audience in Japan.
>       To accommodate the expected crowds, Toho is opening Godzilla on 400
> screens -- its widest release ever. Many of the screens will be in Warner
> Mycal, UCI and other multiplexes that are rapidly reviving the Japanese
> exhibition business. "We are not limiting ourselves to our own circuit,"
> says Suzuki. "We want to get this film into as many theatres as possible.
> Hard-core fans may say that this Godzilla is not the real thing, but we
> think ordinary moviegoers are going to love it."
>
>
> Before dismissing Toho's box office projection as hype, remember that they
> erred on the conservative side in forecasting the take of The Princess
> Mononoke; Toho thought it would earn about Y40 billion in film rentals, but
> it ended up clearing more than twice that.
>
> If they are right and Godzilla becomes a Titanic-sized hit here, I suppose
> we can say that snazzy CG effects outweigh any fan loyalty to a local idol.
> Given that sequels to the US Godzilla are already in the works, the
> Japanese Big G may be forced into a long retirement and become even more of
> a nostalgia item -- the Japanese equivalent of Mickey Mouse -- than it is
> already. I also think, though, that Toho will bring Godzilla "back home"
> someday, thunder thighs, rubber suit and all. But will anyone over the age
> of 12 still care?
>
>
> Mark Schilling (schill at gol.com)

Mark,
Good luck to Toho and their marketing campaign.
But after seeing it at their premiere screening, I personally think they mig
ht have some difficulties reaching their goals.  Setting aside the entire Ja
panese Godzilla vs. U.S. Godzilla lip-flapping fest (which, if anything, mig
ht stimulate people to go see what the fuss is about), I think this film lac
ks the broad appeal of a Mononoke or any other of the big box office leaders
..  Most of them had legs that resulted from strong word of mouth as well as
promotion--and enjoyed an audience that ranged from schoolkids to the grayin
g set.  This film doesn't offer much of value for anyone over 12--there's no
campiness, no charm, no plot.  There's a big CG iguana, but the kids have se
en a lot of good CG on their video screens these days.
I'll be surprised by any longevity in this Godzilla.
But I guess we should never underestimate the power of marketing.
Cheers,
Greg Starr