UK cinemas use blockbuster preview to boost audiences
FDA commissions trailer for most anticipated films of 2009
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Friday, 17, Apr 2009 08:55
A trailer previewing the most anticipated films of the year has been commissioned by Britain's film distributors in the hope of a successful summer.
Blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds will be showcased in a minute-long advert intended to "whet appetites for the sheer excitement of the cinema experience".
"We want to encourage more frequent visits," said Mark Batey of the Film Distributors Association (FDA).
"It's not a film-specific message," he told. "Our message is that the cinema is the most fantastic place to experience new stories."
The FDA, which represents distributors in the UK and Ireland, is keen to maintain the film sector's successful record in 2009.
Despite the global economic downturn, takings for the first quarter of the year are up 16 per cent and more than £250 million was spent on cinema tickets between January and March.
"The summer period sees the greatest concentration on big event movies," Batey added.
"The summer event movie dates back to Jaws and Star Wars in the 1970s and it hasn't let up since."
The so-called popcorn movie season begins with X-Men Origins: Wolverine on April 29th - though the 20th Century Fox film was recently leaked online - before JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot follows on May 8th.
Other likely summer hits include Terminator: Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Ice Age 3.