The Albuquerque Tribune from Albuquerque, New Mexico · 28

Page D4 THE ALBUQUERQUE TRIBUNE Tuesday November 11 1997 In Hollywood the earliest ‘buzz’ gets the gold What they're doing by going out early is marking their territory saying go ahead and counterprogram if you like but this is what we're doing It's a function of how strongly they feel about the movie" Richard Fay President of films for AMC Entertainment LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS L( )S ANG ILLS If you went to the movies over the summer you probably saw a trailer for one of 1 998’s likely blockbusters “Godzilla” or “Armageddon” a full year before they actually will reach theaters Those who see Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and “Flubber" this month will also see trailers for “Mulan” due out in July-and “A Bug’s Life” due Christmas 1998 Studios are doing this to start early buzz among key moviegoers and to stake out key weekends in the coming year Hollywood has been promoting the “next major special event” since the first films hit theaters but never have so many movies vied for so much attention so far in advance of their release dates “With something that you’re identifying as an event movie you want to hit the audience early and often” says Craig Murray chief of Craig Murray Productions one of the industry’s leading producers of trailers “The studios want you to be in the habit of seeing several event films every year instead of just one or two so you’re getting a lot more a year out” So far one 1998 movie towers above all others in buzz: Sony’s “Godzilla” It started with the summer teaser which took aim at the other giant lizards Steven Spielberg’s “Lost World” In the teaser a giant reptile leg stomps through the roof of a museum crushing a dinosaur skeleton inside The 30-second trailer played for less than two months before Sony pulled it from theaters “The trailer was out there in the summer with movies like ‘Men In Black’ which was the audience they wanted to reach” Murray recalls “Godzilla” will open May 20 the key slot prior to Memorial Day weekend and is universally seen as the likeliest blockbuster of 1 998 Sony had finalized a Taco Bell tie-in last spring and is expected to use dozens of other promotional partners Analyst Lawrence Gerbrandt of Paul Kagan Associates said firing up the “Godzilla” campaign early makes sense “We’ve seen early campaigns before but not quite this far in advance” he said “As the risks get larger especially for films like this it makes sense to start building early” Robert Bucksbaum head of Reel Source forecasting service said Sony’s efforts for “Godzilla” are already paying off “The buzz on it is the same as ‘Men In Black”’ he said “People now associate Sony with ‘Godzilla’” Disney’s push for “Armageddon” starring Bruce Willis as a demolition expert assigned to destroy an asteroid before it hits Earth also started in midsummer or a full year before its July 1 release date It showed a space shuttle taking off with a voice-over saying “We’ve got to land on it before it lands on us” and a tag line of “Armageddon Sooner than you think” Richard Cook chairman of Disney’s film operations said that getting the word out early on “Armageddon” was crucial “As the world becomes more complicated and with so many pieces of product bombarding us it becomes more important for special-event movies to start much earlier to get it into the mainstream of public awareness” he said “It’s becoming even more prevalent because there are so many other choices” Bucksbaum for one is high on “Armageddon” “It looks really solid” he says “When you saw the trailers you know you’ve got a big hit on your hands They’ve already gotten to that core teen-age and young adult audience” Those moviegoers are who determine most of the blockbusters — the 1 1 -year-old boys who went to see “Men In Black” a half-dozen times and “Hercules” only once last summer or the 1 2-year-old girl who chose to see “My Best Friend’s Wedding” instead of “Leave It to Beaver” It’s that crowd that’s excited about “Godzilla” Bucksbaum said “Kids on the street already know all about ‘Godzilla’ like when it’s coming out” he said “So you might as well push it hard If you’ve got it you flaunt it” It’s a tricky process Cook noted “You walk a fine line between overexposing something and wanting everyone to know about it and you’re limited because the film usually isn’t completed” he explained “But there’s no question that the earlier you find the most appealing elements the better you can develop a campaign” David Davis an analyst with 1 loulihan Lokey Zukin & Howard agrees “A teaser helps create awareness for concepts that are testing well but not part of the public vernacular yet” he said “It makes sense with something that has major breakout potential and it makes sense to start even as much as a year in advance It’s not like they’re spending $10 million at that point” Analysts say such moves come amid soaring costs and intensified competition for the public's attention Studios need blockbusters now more than ever — films that will be hits not just domestically but also in foreign markets and can lend themselves to juicy profits in ancillary areas like video games toys TV shows and sequels That also means more spending on somewhat improbable candidates For example New Line’s “Lost In Space” with William Hurt as its biggest star and costs estimated at $70 million has already received a noticeable promotional push from Altoids breath mints Frontier Communications phone cards and Trendmasters toys six months prior to its April opening James Tharp DreamWorks distribution chief said the studio will unveil during the coming weeks a trailer for Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” a World War II drama “We’ll be creating awareness and anticipation early on” he said “Overall 1998 looks like a big year for the entire industry” All this scrambling does not mean two big movies can’t come out on the same day and survive but they need to be different types of films For example Warner Bros staked out June 20 last summer for “Batman & Robin” then Sony took a chance on “My Best Friend’s Wedding” on the same day with a big campaign Sony won the battle having guessed correctly that the public would rather see Julia Roberts smile than George Clooney grimace “What they’re doing by going out early is marking their territory saying go ahead and counterprogram if you like but this is what we’re doing” said Richard Fay president of films for AMC Entertainment “It’s a func tion of how strongly they feel about the movie No one was upset about the early ‘Godzilla’ trailer because it was a knockout” Hollywood’s move toward starting ad campaigns earlier and heavier has accelerated in recent years as studios began spending more on star salaries and special effects The end result is a domestic box office that grew by 76 percent last year and should rise by 8 percent this year to about $64 billion But much of that is due to a 7 percent growth in the number of screens each year many of them in 20- to 30-screen palaces The rise of the so-called megaplex means a blockbuster like Universal’s “Lost World” can open on as many as 6000 screens at once — a number that would have been unimaginable a few years ago — and top $ 1 00 million in less than a week as it did last May The growth in screens also means that exhibitors are hungry for product at any time of the year For years theater owners urged studios to open big movies at non-tra-ditional times mainly in January to early May and September to mid-November “Now that we have 30-screen megaplexes we really need things like a ‘Star Wars’ in February and a ‘Liar Liar’ in March” Fay says Studio executives learned a profound lesson last year when Fox dominated the box office with “Independence Day” which topped $300 million and was produced by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich the same team now preparing “Godzilla” “1D4” began its push in November 1995 eight months before its release then established its “icon” with the clip of a giant flying saucer blowing up the White House during a Super Bowl spot with the tag line: “Enjoy the Super Bowl It may be your last” The incinerated White House became the image for the campaign Sony hit upon a similar solution late last year when it began to market “Men In Black” with a simple but memorable image — sunglasses on Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones With “MIB” domestic grosses now approaching a quarter billion dollars the idea of starting a campaign nine to 12 months ahead of a release date no longer seems so strange “Imitation is the kindest form of flattery” said Tom Sherak chairman of Fox’s domestic film operation “The great thing about this business is that you can build on other people’s successes like ‘Independence Day’ If you can come up w'ith an idea that catches on quickly you can have a lot of fun with it” Sisters in Crime learn methods of murder to juice up their books By Tara Meyer THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — In a church meeting room special agent Jim Arey lays out an arsenal of explosives to the glee of a group of sinister sisters The women take copious notes as he picks up a sheet of explosive as thin as an envelope to demonstrate the finer points of letter bombs Earlier over beer and fajitas the group had chatted about the joy of the kill “Loved your gunshot wounds” writer Kathy Hogan Trocheck told colleague Teri Holbrook referring to an especially gruesome end to a character in her book “The Grass Widow” These mystery writers are determined to get the gory details of death right Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms are among their best sources “We are writing fiction but we are trying to create a world that’s believable” Trocheck says “I want my fiction to seem real” They belong to an international network of mystery writers called Sisters in Crime founded about a decade ago Sisters’ 42 chapters — including two in Canada and one in Germany promote women in a mystery field dominated by men Its 3200 members have included at one time or another such best-selling authors as Sara Paretsky and Mary Higgins Clark For this bunch it’s also become a monthly caucus on how to get away with murder These sleuths are serious Their Sisters in Crime’s 42 chapters - including two in Canada and one in Germany - promote women in a mystery field dominated by men sign-in sheet reads “Sign In or Die!” Their newsletter is known as the “Rap Sheet” But in the quest for accuracy their intentions are sometimes misunderstood One night over dinner they were consulting each other on poison Their waitress never returned A pharmacist was shocked when Laurien Berenson who specializes in mayhem on the dog-show circuit asked her to explain how to use arsenic The druggist immediately called Berenson’s husband “He said ‘That’s OK She does it all the time”’ Berenson said Accuracy is worth the trouble because readers are quick to point out mistakes “Members of the National Rifle Association have written me several times because they have been angry that I said a gun fired 10 rounds instead of eight” Paretsky said Her female sleuth VI Warshawski has graced the pages of eight books and landed her own movie “This one man wrote me a 10-page letter about every mistake I had made in all my books and said I was obviously a Communist who wanted to take guns out of Americans’ hands” she said Tonight their consultant is Arey a bomb expert with the ATF “Sure I was reluctant to come here” Arey says “But I have no reason to think they want to learn about bombs for any other reason ‘It’s so sour it makes your face implode!’ By NATALIE HOPKINSON COX NEWS SERVICE Today’s kids love candy for the same reason we all did: Not for what you eat but what you do while eating it Remember seeing how much Bazooka you could cram into your mouth at a baseball game? Or the time you sprinkled Pop Rocks in your soda to watch it explode? Today a new type of painful pleasure has appeared on the candy scene: Warheads They’re so obnoxiously sour the package carries a warning label on the outside: “First 50 seconds are EXTREMELY INTENSE! Hang t than to put some realism into their books” So he explains the finer points of bombs from a fuse that can bum a 76-mile trail from Atlanta to Macon in 20 seconds to the ammonium nitrate package that looks like a bag of manure Later the women and a few men slip on latex gloves and sift through some of Arey’s samples looking for the switch battery and blasting caps Scott Schmid a cellular immunologist once told the group how to grow the toxin that causes botulism and inject it into a victim’s insulin supply fora fast kill “I was very careful to talk about things in ways that nobody would really be able to use it but it could make a good plot” Schmid said “I certainly didn’t give them a cookbook” They’ve held guns in their hands learned the wiles of a prostitute studied the nose of a tracking dog and the tactics of a medical examiner For one lecture a bone specialist brought along a human skeleton “There’s a mutual must” says An- General ESF I Cinema zZL ALL CINEMAS EQUIPPED BARGAIN MATINEES TILL 6 PM DAILY MILITARY or STUDENT ID 15 EVENINGS Advance Ticket Sales (up to 5 days) Visa & Mastercard Accepted INDICATES VIP TICKET RESTRICTIONS APPLY TIMES In Parentheses ( FRl—SUN ONLY SAN MATEO 8 889-3051 MAD CITY ON TWO SCREENS PG13 12:30 1:45 3:00 4:15 5:30 7:00 8:00 9:30 10:15 EVE’S BAYOU 1:00 3:10 5:20 7:40 10:00 R DOLBY END OF VIOLENCE 1:50 4:30 7:10 9:40 R LOCUSTS 1:30 4:20 7:10 9:35 R GATTACA 12:40 2:50 5:10 7:30 9:50 PG13 DOLBY FAIRY TALE: A True Story 12:50 3:10 5:30 PG THE MATCHMAKER 3:10 7:20 R SOUL FOOD 12:50 5:10 9:20 R MEN IN BLACK 7:50 9:50 PG13 PARK SQ at LOUISIANA BLVD RED CORNER (1:30) 4:30 7:00 R A LIFE LESS ORDINARY 7:15 R ROCKET MAN (12:30) (2:35) 4:45 PG KISS THE GIRLS (12:00) (2:30) 5:00 7:30 R DIGITAL GIFT CERTIFICATE BOOKS ON SALE NOW! A MUST-SEE MOVIE YOU’D BE MAD TO MISS!” -Barbara & Scott Siegel SIEGEL ENTERTAINMENT SYNDICATE MAD CITY IPG-131 -ssffiE 12:15 2:40 5:00 7:30 10:00 12:30 1:45 3:00 4:15 5:30 7:00 8:00 9:30 10:15 UNITED ARTISTS THEATRES STARPOHT : jt iftiiEuiHihiS£- Winrotk f 12:20 2:50 5:15 7:40 10:10 12:45 3:00 5:20 7:40 10:00 UiTEiiTBTSf Theatres BARGAIN PRICE SHOWS BEFORE 6:00 PM I fMf NO VIP TICKETS OR PASSES ACCEPTED UUJ in there!” The kids at Camp Forest Park in Boynton Beach Fla were trying to describe the candy world’s latest craze: “They’re like eating a lemon” says David Mahoney 12 “No” his buddies insist “More sour” “It’s so sour” grins 1 1 -year-old Ryan Jackola “it makes your face implode” The campers say the best candies are hot or sour enough for kids to have contests to see who can stand it the longest In addition to Warheads that includes Atomic Fireballs and Cry Babies sllHrUHI COTTONWOOD MALL COOPS BLVD C00RS BY-PASS 897-6858 $ & MAD CITY (PG-13) THX DTS DIGITAL 12:15 2:40 5:00 7:3010:00 IN & OUT (PG-13) 12:30 3:00 5:15 7:45 10:00 Double Feature AIR FORCE ONE(R)2:45 7:15 MEN IN BLACK (PG-13) 12:45 5:20 9:50 GATTACA (PG-13)THXSDDS DIGITAL 12:30 3:00 5:20 7:40 10:00 FAIRYTALE-A TRUE STORY (PG) 12:15 2:30 4:45 7:30 9:45 SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (PG-13) 1:15 4:00 7:20 10:00 KISS THE GIRLS (R) 12:454:157:109:50 THE PEACEMAKER (R) 4:00 700 SOUL FOOD (R) 1:00 9:40 EXCESS BAGGAGE (PG-13) 1:00 3:15 5:15 7:45 9:45 NOW OPEN! SEGA CITY VIRTUAL HANG GLIDERS CYBERFIGHTERS SHOWSCAN’S THE EDGE A MOTION SIMULATION THEATRE FOUR HILLS 10 CENTRAL & TRAMWAY 275-2114 STARSHIP TROOPERS (R)9 THX SDDS DIGITAL (ON 2 SCREENS) 1:00 2:00 3:45 4:45 7:00 7:30 9:4510:15 MAD CITY (PG-13) SDDS DIGITAL 12:45 3:00 5:20 7:40 10:00 RED CORNER (R) SDDS DIGITAL 1:15 4:00 7:20 10:00 GATTACA (PG-13) 1:30 4:15 7:00 9:30 SWITCHBACK (R)4 2:00 4:40 7:15 9:50 KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (R) 12:55 3:10 5:25 7:40 9:55 KISS THE GIRLS (R) 1:50 4:30 7:10 9:40 ROCKET MAN (PG) 12:50 3:00 5:10 THE EDGE (R) 7: 15 9:40 Double Feature MEN IN BLACK (PG-13) 1:40 7:20 AIR FORCE ONE (R)350 9:25 i?iir WYOMING AT HARPER NE 823-6666 & gHCTjPBnsEai GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (PG) 4:40 7:00 MONEY TALKS (R)5:00 7:15 CONTACT (PG) 4:30 7:30 CONSPIRACY THEORY (R) 4:50 7:40 TIMES FOR MONDAY 1110 THRU TUESDAY 1111 ONLY WINROCK 6 201 WINROCK CENTER NE 883-6022 dx 7) STARSHIP TROOPERS (R)tTHX DTS DIGITAL 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:45 STARSHIP TROOPERS (R)4 2:00 4:50 7:40 10:20 MAD CITY (PG-13) 12:20 2:50 5:157:40 10:10 FAIRYTALE-A TRUE STORY (PG) 12:30 2:45 5:05 7:20 9:30 SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (PG-13) 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:50 THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (R) 1:15 4:30 8:00 CORONADO -6 6401 UPTOWN BLVD NE 881-5266 6 BEAN (PG-13) 2:30 5:007:30 9:50 EVE'S BAYOU R)4 2:00 4:307:00 9:30 IN & OUT (PG-13) 2:30 5:007:30 9:35 SWITCHBACK (R) 2:15 4:507:20 9:50 GATTACA (PG-13) 2:00 4:457:15 9:45 I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (R)2:15 4:307:00 9:30 HIGHRIDGE 8 TRAMWAY & INDIAN SCHOOL 275-0038 dx BEAN (PG-13) 12:40 3:00 5:10 7:3(19:45 BOOGIE NIGHTS (R) 12:30 3:45 7:00 FAIRYTALE-A TRUE STORY (PG) 12:35 2:55 5:15 7:35 9:50 THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (R) DTS DIGITAL 1:15 4:25 8:00 SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (PG-13) 12:30 3:20 7:00 9:50 IN & OUT (PG-13) 12:45 2:55 5:05 7:15 9:25 LA CONFIDENTIAL (R) 1:00 5:00 8:00 THE FULL MONTY (R) 12:50 3:00 5:15 7:25 9:35 MONTGOMERY PLAZA SAN MATEO & MONTGOMERY NE 881-1080 dx?‘ MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS (R) 4:507:10 SHE'S SO LOVELY (R)5:057:15 A CHEF IN LOVE (PG-13) 5:157:15 MRS BROWN(PG) 5:107:20 SHALL WE DAICE? (PG) 4:457:00 nette Meyers national president of Sisters in Crime “They show us a lot of things and they ask us please not to talk to the public about it” Wait a minute Won’t the public just read about it? “If people read it and they are already disturbed maybe that gives nLADERA 65 1 CINEMA I PXNEMAS ALL SEATS all times 3301 Coors Rd NW 836-5606 GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (PG)VOO 3:00 5:00 7:00 9:00 MONEY TALKS (R) 1:10 3:10 5:10 7:15 9:10 WISH MASTER (R) 5:20 9:30 SPAWN (PG-13) 1:00 3:00 5:00 7:25 9:15 HERCULES (G) 1:15 3:15 7:20 GOOD BURGER (PG) 1:00 3:00 7:30 NOTHING TO LOSE (R) 1:20 3:20 5:15 7:20 9:20 MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING (R) 5:15 9 15 them ideas” says Meyers who plants a poisonous azalea as the weapon in one murder plot “I think most of the time nobody does it” CINEMARK THEATRES MOVIES WEST ALBUQUERQUE 9201 COORS BLVD 8984664 CENTRAL & TRAMWAY 275-21141 1:00 2:00 3:45 4:45 7:00 7:30 9:45 10:15 342-2424 & 3 I-2S EXIT AT JEFFERSON 12:00 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:35 3:15 3:45 4:15 5:10 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:45 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:20 223132 I 9201 Coors BlvdH 81H664 1:30 2:10 4:15 4:55 7:00 7:40 9:45 S375 ALL SHOWS BEFORE 6 PM $375 SENIORS & CHILDREN - $600 ADULTS STEREO SURROUND SOUND IN ALL AUDITORIUMS TODAYS TIMES ONLY HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE FOUR DAY ADVANCE TICKET SALES NO PASSES NO SUPERSAVERS RED CORNER (R) 7:10 9:50 STARSHIP TROOPERS (R)‘ 1:30 4:15 7:00 9:45 ROCKET MAN (PG) 1 1:30 1 :40 4:25 DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (R) 1 :50 5:00 8:00 SWITCHBACK (R) (1 1 :20 1 :55 440 7:25 10:00 I KNOW WHATYOU DID LAST SUMMER (R) 1 1 :1 5 1 45 4:30 7:15 9:35 RED CORNER (R)‘ 11:35 2:15 5:10 7:50 BEAN (PG-13)- 1 1 45 2:00 4:45 7:30 9:40 STARSHIP TROOPERS (R)- 1 1:25 2:10 4:55 7:40 I Sat & Sun Showtimes MOVIES 8 4591 SAN MATEO NE 888-1992 $1°° All shows before 6 PM $15° All shows after 6 PM TODAYS TIMES ONLY HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE GEORGE OFTHE JUNGLE (PG) MONEY TALKS (R) HOODLUM (R) WES CRAVEN'S W1SHMASTER (R) HERCULES (G) SPAWN (PG-13) CONSPIRACY THEORY (R) CONTACT (PG) COP LAND (R) MY BEST FRIENDS WEDDING (PG-13) NOTHING TO LOSE (R) 11:30 2:00 4:30 7:00 9 30 12:00 2:30 5:107:50 10:20 4:00 7:20 10:25 12:102:50 5:20 8:00 10:30 11:201:40 12:20 5:00 10:00 12:40 3:50 6:50 9:50 9:40 11:99220 4:50 7:30 10:10 11:402:104:40 7:10 2:40 7:40 S45P Bargain Shows in ( ) r mt 1 I D V UP T0 5 DAY VANCE tickets available Weekday shows starting before 6pm V-LIN 1 UK I NO PASSES COUPONS SatSunHol shows before 2 pm theatres OR DISCOUNTS ACCEPTED http:wwwcenturvtheatrescom - win free tickets! CENTURY RIO 24 4901 PAN AMERICAN -1-25 Exit at Jefferson 342-2424 New Stadium-Style Seating In Every Auditorium Jffifp m m On 4 Screens ( 12:00-1:00-1:30-2:35-3:45-4:15-5:10) DD 6:30-7:00-7:45-9:30-1000-10:20 ( 12:30-3:15-6:00)9:00 ED BcAftf (PG-13) On 2 Screens ( 1 2:20-1 : 20-2:30-3:30-4:40-5:40) PR® 6:50-7:50-9:05-10:05 Bocxsie NIGHTS R On 3 Screens ( 12:00-1 :00-3:00-4:00-6:00) 7:00-9:00-10:00®® ( 2:00-5:00) 8:00 fppf RED CORNER" On 2 Screens ! 12:25-1:35-2:55-4:10-5:25) 7:05-7:55-9:45-10: 30 OH Switchback ( 12:15-2:45-5:15) 7:45-10:15 Uli EVU3fe Svoca- On 2 Screens (12:10-3:15) 6:20-9:25 (12:55-4:05) 7:10-10:15 EH fni—ri I KNOW (R WHAT YOU DID (") LAST SUMMER On 2 Screens ( 12:15-1:05-2:30-3:25-4:50-5:45) 7:10-8:05-9:30-10:25 m Times Valid For Tuesday November 1 1 1997 Only ©COPYRIGHT 1997 4