One billion reasons for 'Men' move
Originally skedded for a February release, WB decided in meetings with producer John Davis on Monday to move "Grumpy" into a 525-screen preview program on Dec. 4, followed by a 1,200-screen opening on Christmas Day.
But WB execs dispute widespread speculation that the abrupt jigger of the release schedule was prompted by a bid to become the first studio ever to record $ 1 billion in annual domestic box office gross.
The official WB line is that the decision to push up the movie responded to Paramount Pictures' decision to pull its Richard Gere/Sharon Stone starrer "Intersection," as well as indications that "Grumpy" plays well across the board.
But others said the decision may have been motivated by a sense of history, since both WB and the combined Sony Pictures Entertainment studios have surpassed $ 800 million in domestic box office gross to date.
The bang-up year for WB and the combined SPE companies prompted the research firm Paul Kagan Associates Inc. to report that "it is very possible 1993 will see the first distributor to top $ 1 billion in a single year."
Variety also has recently noted that WB has a clear shot at becoming the first distributor to generate $ 1 billion in a fiscal year.
WB president of distribution Barry Reardon said the decision to move the picture was because there was "a perfect spot for it."
He said the studio wasn't motivated to put the movie into the holiday season to set records.
Holiday hopeful
In fact, research on the movie gives the pic the look of a sure-fire holiday hit.
Unconfirmed test scores for the movie reportedly hit an 80% excellent rating for all audiences, while 13% rated it very good.
In addition, the producers of the movie said "Grumpy" has been screened to an array of demographic groups, which indicated that the comedy appealed to a broader audience than the older adults originally expected to be drawn to stalwarts Lemmon and Matthau.
Not without risk
But the bump in the release schedule is not without risk. Sources said a marketing campaign for the movie is not yet in place, forcing WB to juggle work on "Grumpy" along with the effort to open such other holiday titles as "The Nutcracker," the Kevin Costner starrer "A Perfect World," director Oliver Stone's "Heaven and Earth," the Julia Roberts starrer "The Pelican Brief," the animated "Batman: Mask of Phantasm" and the offbeat "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway."
"In the Christmas season you better have your materials ready because it costs an awful lot of money to get a movie opened," said one marketing executive. "It's awful late in the game to be starting from scratch."
Vote of confidence
Proof of WB's belief in "Grumpy" was assignment of its director, Donald Petrie, to the coming studio picture "Richie Rich," indicating that WB brass was convinced the helmer could handle a big-budget movie with franchise potential.
"Grumpy" producer Davis said he was confident that WB will mine profits from its "Grumpy" holiday gamble.
"While some people think it a risk to move it up one or two months, I believe the combination of Warner Bros.' fantastic marketing ability, this picture's playability, and an extensive sneaks program, means that Christmas will be just fine," he said.
