Distribution and Box Office Takings

Distribution

The distribution of the film is very important in terms of how well the film subsequently does in the box office. As for picking a distribution company for my film I have looked at other horror films containing similar themes to mine in order to find the right distributor for my film. The Woman in Black was distributed by Momentum Pictures in the UK, Shutter was distributed by 20^th Century Fox and The Blair Witch Project was distributed by Artisan Entertainment.

Momentum Pictures

Moment Pictures is one of the successful independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland, on average distributing 20 independent films a year. Momentum are a critically acclaimed film distributor with successes in the Oscars and the BAFTAs with films such as The Kings Speech, P.S I Love You and The Young Victoria, making it a leading film company for the distribution of independent films.  

20^th Century Fox

20^th Century Fox are one of the big 6 American film studios, as well as distributing and producing films, 20^th Century Fox also produce and distribute TV programmes such as How I Met Your Mother, New Girl and Modern Family. Some of the most successful films that 20^th Century Fox have been credited for are X-Men, Alien and Predator. The success 20^th Century Fox and other subsidiaries have received mean that they tend to work with films that have large budgets and are able to push the films towards the main cinema companies.

Artisan Entertainment

Artisan Entertainment Inc. is an American independent film company at the time The Blair Witch Project was made, however it was brought by the Canadian film company Lions Gate in 2003. Previously Artisan Entertainment produced films such as Reservoir For Dogs, Suicide Kings and The Blair Witch Project along with many other independent horror/thriller films. Lions Gate produce far more mainstream films for a wider audience, their film portfolio consists of the films produced by their subsidiary companies; Artisan Entertainment, Trimark Pictures and Vestron Pictures such as Dirty Dancing, The Princess Bride and Young Guns.

Box Office Takings

The Woman in Black was made on a $15 million budget, it was a success in the Box Office making $127, 730, 736. During its opening weekend the film made $20 million, making it the biggest American release ever for its production company Hammer Productions and earned significantly more than the $11 million - $16.5 million that it was expected to bring in, also making it the highest grossing British horror in 20 years.

Shutter

Shutter was made on an $8 million budget, after receiving mainly poor reviews from critics it made a surprising $47,879, 410. Making only $10,447, 559 on its opening weekend in March in cinemas, reached 3^rd in the box office.

The Blair Witch Project

After being shown at Sundance Film Festival in 1998, Artisan release The Blair Witch Project in July 1999 after months of publicity leading audiences to believe that the film was a recording of real events. The films budget finally finished at between 500, 000 and 75, 000 after reshoots and an increase in sound editing. It, however grossed 248, 639, 099 worldwide, making it a milestone in modern cinema due to its box office success.