"Lost in Translation" has found how to have its cake and eat it, too.
Crix-lauded pic -- which has drawn an Academy Award nomination for best pic and three other Oscar noms -- will be maintained in near wide release by Focus Features over the coming frame, even after hitting homevid shelves today.
Double-dipping strategy has rival distribs grumbling that exhibs are playing favorites by changing a long-standing practice of supporting pics only until the homevid release date. But Landmark Theaters marketing maven Ray Price said his circuit's embrace of the Bill Murray-Scarlett Johansson starrer makes simple business sense.
"If we were to take off 'Lost in Translation' from some screens, we would be taking off a title that was the highest-grossing picture in those complexes," Price noted.
"Translation," helmed by Sofia Coppola, has played especially well in arthouses but has also crossed over into commercial venues. Last weekend, the Japanese-set drama grossed $2.2 million from 632 theaters, or $3,412 per venue -- a notable haul considering pic's been in release for 21 weeks.
DVD sales superior
Execs at Focus and parent company Universal considered pushing back pic's homevid release date as recently as two weeks ago but decided against it. After all, the profit margin from DVD sales is superior to late-run theatrical grosses, whose box office splits favor exhibs.
Overall, studios typically realize about 50% of box office grosses, with B.O. splits late in a theatrical run favoring exhibs, while opening weeks are more distrib-friendly. But the profit margin on each DVD, which can range from 65% - 85%, or $12-$18 per sale.
"We're not trying to defy gravity or upset anybody's cart," said Jack Foley, Focus' distribution prexy. "What we're trying to do is make money."
Exhibs are happy to go along with the game plan, as a best pic nom always spurs substantial patronage by moviegoers who want to see all the pics nominated in Oscar's most celebrated category. That's why U gave "Seabiscuit" a mini re-release of 54 theatrical runs last weekend, a month after hitting homevid.
But the case of "Translation" is more unusual, as pic's expected to play in about 535 U.S. and Canadian theaters over its 22nd weekend. A run of 600 or more engagements is the accepted definition of a wide release.
Creeping closer
Similarly, it's not uncommon for studios to seek to capitalize on Academy-noms publicity with a quick DVD release. Indeed, homevid release dates are creeping ever closer to movies' theatrical openings throughout the year.
But this is perhaps the first time a studio has sought to exploit a pic's Oscar bounce in theaters while simultaneously launching a nomination-fueled homevid campaign.
Meanwhile, it may be no coincidence that the Oscar season has been newly truncated. Industryites said Focus' success in maintaining playdates for "Translation" is attributable in part to exhibs' interest in maximizing B.O. from Oscar best pic nominees over a shorter span of time this year.
Miramax is currently expanding "City of God" -- nominated in four categories including best foreign-language pic -- with the Brazilian actioner set for homevid release on Feb. 17. But it remains to be seen whether the subtitled arthouser will enjoy anything like the distribution clout of "Translation," once the homevid window commences.
Retail orders for today's homevid release of "Translation" have nearly doubled since the movie's Golden Globes wins and Oscar noms, according to Universal Studios Home Video, with 1.5 million DVD headed to stores.
'Seabiscuit' out front
On "Seabiscuit," U took advantage of pre-Oscar buzz by releasing the racing drama as an awards contender during the busiest holiday retail season for DVDs in December.
Of course, U's win-win on "Translation" is more serendipity than shrewd planning, for no one would have bet the studio on the modestly budgeted arthouser securing a best pic nom.
Or as Landmark's Price puts it: "This isn't a strategy. It's a situation."
(Scott Hettrick in L.A. and David Rooney in New York contributed to this report.)
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