'Whale' swims against tide
Baumbach pic relying on good reviews, word-of-mouth
So how does one market a film titled "The Squid and the Whale" that's actually about an intellectual Brooklyn family falling apart in the 1980s?
Semi-autobiographical pic, written and directed by Noah Baumbach, is one of the best-reviewed movies of the year, but don't look for any TV ads or other aggressive marketing campaigns -- at least not yet.
Samuel Goldwyn Films, which partnered with Sony Pictures Intl. Releasing in buying the Jeff Daniels-Laura Linney starrer at Sundance, is taking a decidedly cautious approach, relying on glowing reviews and word-of-mouth to generate buzz.
"Squid" producers say they're fine with the lowkey approach so far, and that Goldwyn and Sony promised to spend a healthy $4 million on P&A when they acquired the $1.5 million film. Other interested buyers offered to spend 40% on P&A at most, noting what a difficult film it would be market.
It's not known how much of that Goldwyn is spending in the U.S., but the plan is to hope for Golden Globes noms and to make year-end crix lists in December and then go wider, with an accompanying TV spend.
But that could be a long time to wait -- too long. With a crowded niche marketplace and lots of jockeying for kudos attention, the pic will have to distinguish itself from the pack.
The film, which opened Oct. 7 on four screens in L.A. and Gotham, averaged an impressive $32,461 per screen. Jumping to 27 theaters the following weekend, pic averaged a strong $10,368, and $7,883 per screen when growing to 30 screens the next.
Box office receipts slumped, though, when the pic went to 60 screens, with a per-screen average of $4,834.
"Squid" insiders nonetheless expected to see a bump up following debuts in top markets including Seattle and Chicago on Nov. 4.
The next few weeks will prove whether the tentacles of positive buzz are strong enough to grab a wider run.
