The current state of the UK film industry

Universal releases 30 – 35 films a year, which is one of the largest slates in the industry. The UK marketing team consists of 28 people, with a digital team of just two, including Hogan himself, who manages between 50 – 60 communities at any one time.

Currently cinema admissions are down: 172m in 2012 compared to 165m in 2013. There are more out of town multiplexes and unfortunately less art-house cinemas, although this has resulted in a rise of actual screens. 

The number of films released has also gone up, 734 in 2012 to 801 in 2013, with the number likely to hit 900 in 2015. 

There is still a massive amount of money to be made. Interestingly if you look at the top 10 most profitable films of the last 12 months, all of them carry a certificate of 12a or under. Family films are obviously key in capturing the widest possible audience. Only 3% of films released last year had an 18 certificate.

Problems that Universal has to consider

Because of the sheer amount of new releases every year, the average film is only in cinemas for three weeks.

There are many misconceptions about the price of cinema tickets. The average ticket costs between £6 and £7, rather than the bubble of lofty prices we seem to experience in London and the south-east.

Cinema is the most pre-booked form of entertainment, with 80% of tickets booked on the day or the day before. This makes things difficult to make a conversion at the point of engagement.

Piracy is still a major problem, however it has flattened thanks to the rise in legitimate video on demand and streaming services. It’s also interesting to note that people who are most likely to pirate are also most likely to visit the cinema regularly.

Existing resources

Social used to be a PR afterthought, now social is having a direct influence on how films are being made.

As a brand, the social team has access to an incredible amount of content and of course very glamorous and attractive celebrities. This is some of the easiest content to publicise.

Film going audiences already anticipate content from studios. There’s an inbuilt desire for it from the moment a film is greenlit. Fans often create their own social accounts, pages and forums for their favourite upcoming and existing movies.

Access to high budgets and media partners. The social team also has a remit to be as highly creative as possible, and luckily it has a wealth of access to cinema quality assets.

Existing problems

The social team are telling someone else’s story. Other brands have the freedom to craft their own narratives and dictate their own stories. Universal has to be careful in considering the film-makers, writers and producers.

Fear of spoilers is quite a major problem. The social team receives a lot of long, angry feedback when spoilers are let slip on social, so extra care needs to be taken.

Social campaigns begin the moment a film is greenlit. In fact the team is not just working on its current slate but also films being released in 2017 and 2018.

Working with restricted content is also a problem. How do you market an 18 certificate horror movie appropriately to a wide audience?

Sunny weather can also be an unpredictable box office killer.

Everyone’s a critic

Negative comments often achieve the most number of comments and likes and thanks to social algorithms this pushes the comment to the top of the newsfeed.

The question is whether Universal should engage here or let the film do the talking for itself.

When the 50 Shades of Grey casting was announced there was huge controversy, which obliterated social feeds with 5,000 negative comments and many online petitions. 

Universal chose not to interact with the comments, thinking that “well people hated it when Sean Connery was cast as James Bond, people just need to get used to it”.

The social team tactically released images of the actors in character and once the trailer was released (achieving 1m views in one week) comments soon dried up. Fans also began self-moderating, telling others to calm down and give it time.

When it comes to the future, it seems that Universal is also using social data to influence its franchises. The next instalment of Fast and Furious will film in locations where its biggest fans are situated.

Further reading…

For more on movie marketing from the blog, check out the following posts: