Pokemon and Mononoke

[David Desser]

It is my firm belief that Disney Studios is deliberately mishandling the
distribution of _Princess Mononoke_ to ensure that it does NOT achieve its
maximum potential box-office.  There is no reason to have released it in
such limited markets and on so few screens. Word-of-mouth has been strong
from some preview screenings (not to mention the Internet buzz), but
holding it back allows this momentum to dissipate. It would have been
better to release it wide in October to take advantage of this good press
and word of mouth, instead of holding it back.  If it goes wide now or
within the next month, it does so amidst a glut of films, both children and
family-oriented, and it goes up against the big Thanksgiving and
Christmas-time releases.  If it is held back until 2000, it opens in the
depths of the winter, the worst time for box-office.  Thus it seems clear
that the studio is doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the
film. Why?  Because the studio has only distribution rights and there are
no marketing tie-ins. (Perhaps there is some ego involved in the Disney
studios' jealousy over the film's artistry.)

Alternately, the Pokemon film has been released in numerous screens (1500 I
think) and on the Wednesday before the Veterans Day holiday (schools closed
yesterday, Thursday) and has thus been rewarded with a monstrous box-office
take.

David Desser

At 7:46 PM 11/11/99, Aaron Gerow wrote:
>The US news is reporting that _Pokemon: The First Movie_ made over $10
>million on its first day, the fourth highest ever for a mid-week release.
> Analysts say the film is sure to break some records, the easiest of
>which will be the greatest grosses for a Japanese-made film in the US.
>
>In the meantime, _Princess Mononoke_, on a limited release with build-up,
>is apparently doing better than expected with great reviews supporting
>the film.
>
>Any news on either phenomenon--the films, the reception, etc.--from our
>American colleagues?
>
>Aaron Gerow
>Yokohama National University
>KineJapan list owner
>For list commands: send "information kinejapan" to
>listserver at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>Kinema Club: http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Welcome.html