More material

We did good last weekend on the Material theatrical run. We had only a small drop-off and we actually even moved up a notch to position no. 4. We still have the full 41 prints in play which is very good (with double screens still in place at Rosebank Zone, Sandton and Gateway in Durban).

There is some very BIG Hollywood product coming out this weekend, and the following weekend, so the competition is gonna be hectic!

Riaad and I recently attended a gathering of the FCA (Foreign Correspondence Ass.) and CNN and Al Jazeera, as prime examples, want to do a story on a Riaad and the film – this is very exciting, and very very important in terms of our potential offshore journey ... lots of work to do, but it is all good.

Check this out – it went live this week – from one of the FCA members : http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/safrica-film-material-idINDEE8280F920120309

We estimate over 200,000 people have now seen the film, which is a big number - the longer we stay on circuit the better our chances of getting to that magical 400,000 number (which is not a necessity, but it helps to be in the top 10 for the year, in terms of positioning abroad with potential international distributors).

And with that, back to the material it is. Yes, we are writing another story ... 4 years in actually – but now in high energy mode. More material is coming; just can’t say when ... this takes time.

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

The long tail

Last weekend the Material movie did good. We didn’t make it to no. 1 though but the number is solid. Our screen average is still the highest by far, which is the most important measure for the cinema chains (we are on 41 sites and the films ahead of us, only very slightly ahead of us I must add, have much bigger footprints).

Today Ster Kinekor are moving their 3 least performing Material sites they have and from this weekend we will have double prints (ie, 2 cinemas) playing at The Zone, Sandton and Gateway in Durban - this is going to be an interesting experiment, and very exciting.

We will still have the full 41 prints in play as we go on to weekend # 4. In weekend # 5 there are some serious big Hollywood films coming out so it is gonna be a real challenge the following weekend.

The supply and demand dynamics of the cinema industry are very clear cut – each Monday the cinema chains (it works like this all around the world) sit down and analyze the data from the weekend gone by – if a site has 10 cinemas, and there are 5 new movies coming that weekend, then the best performing 5 stay on, and the worst 5 get taken off (to make way for the new films). This is the anxiety we have been going through for the past few weeks ... not easy on the nerves, but so far we are doing good. On all the cosmopolitan sites the film is in the top 3 - the challenge is that the cosmopolitan sites are not the majority.

In short, a lot of people have been using the term “the long tail” when analyzing the data thus far – it may just be that this film plays in the dozen or so cosmopolitan sites for a long, long time.

There is only one way to find out ...

Back to work it is ... there is material to get out there !

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

Closing the gap

We did good on our 2nd weekend: we came in no. 3 and overtook the 2 films that were ahead of us last week. Also, our drop off rate was 13% which is very positive (we needed it to be more like 10% but 13% is pretty close).

The most interesting thing is that for the new weekend, starting today, the 5 new Hollywood movies being released are not heavyweights, so, we actually have a chance to take the no. 1 spot in our 3rd weekend, which would be quite rare. If we don’t get the no. 1 spot I will bet that Material will be a very close 2nd.

If we do get the no. 1 position in weekend number 3 then it means the word of mouth is incredibly strong, and the film will be classified a “sleeper”.

The cinema chains are moving the film to the bigger houses this weekend so we finally have a chance to try get the numbers up.

The numbers are good, but not good enough - they need to be about 20% higher and part of the challenge was due to the smaller cinema houses we were in, so, now we got a better chance this weekend. It is a bit of a gamble, but a calculated one - if we do fill up this weekend then we will be winning, and if not, well, then we ain't gonna make the numbers we need and it will land up being just a small niche film.

We will know very soon.

Please help spread the word !!!

And check this out : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doBgiFFxIaY&feature=g-all&context=G2f1dc83FAAAAAAAAAAA

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

Material numbers

This weekend is the most important milestone for the Material movie. We had a solid opening weekend last weekend and now we have to see what the drop off will be. Last night we had only a 12% drop off from the previous Friday, which is fantastic.

It is raining in Johannesburg – this gets people into the cinemas.

Now we ponder … tonight’s cinema goers are going to get entertained - what film will they choose?

Are the numbers for Saturday going to be material?

We will know very very very soon!

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

The opening weekend ...

The Material movie did around 45,000 tickets on the opening weekend, with a box office of just over R 1.3 mil. The leader, at about 10% higher, was Safe House, and it did just over R 1.4 mil. Material is on 41 screens and Safe House is on 70 (and in the biggest houses). So, we did stack up pretty good.

We achieved a very high per screen average (certainly on par with the top 10 for the year) - we just need to maintain this scenario now, which is nail biting, and challenging, to say the least.

The next key milestone to watch is the "drop off" rate - the average performing film drops off around 30% a week - if a film drops off 50% from week 1 to week 2, then it is a real dog, but, if the drop off is only around 10% to 15% then it is a diamond and, if the film doesn't drop off at all (or hardly anything) from week 1 to week 2 then it is often labeled a "sleeper" - Bend it like Beckham is a prime example.

So, for now, we are carrying on with the marketing and publicity effort, and we hope that next weekend's numbers yield a minimal drop off.

Proper nail biting !!!

If you have seen the film then please go and vote on IMDB : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1899240/

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

The opening weekend !!!

I don’t know who reads this blog, but if you do, please go and see Material this opening weekend (ie, tomorrow).

If you are not inspired by the film I will give you your money back.

And, if you are excited by the magic that has been created here then please post a comment on www.facebook.com/riaadmoosamovie

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

One week to go

By this time next week the Material movie will be out there in full swing !!!

Until then, the pacing continues ...

This week gone by saw the Johannesburg premier come and go - what a blur. There were 650 people there, and the positive response continues to overwhelm us.

For the week ahead, leading up to the opening day, there are over a dozen sneak previews across the land. We are confident that the word of mouth on this film is going to be very strong, which is not the norm when it comes to local movies - this preview exercise is about mobilizing a first wave of supporters. Let's hope it bears fruit.

A week from Sunday, on the evening of the 19th, we will have the opening weekend figures - they will come with a drum roll - the numbers never lie.

Start your engines ...

Posted by Ronnie Apteker