AMC Networks Film Group head Scott Shuman and his team really take the phrase “dinner and a movie” to heart. When they released the French-language film starring Juliette Binoche that IFC picked up at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the distributor invited Franchiette of New York and Pete of Los Angeles to experience a special Valentine’s Day screening. Partnered with restaurants like Trois.
“We really made a home run,” says Schumann of the film, which grossed an impressive $2.6 million at the domestic box office.[During the pandemic] People have figured out how to log into streaming services and have tons of options at their fingertips. So what is the decision-making process that drives someone to the theater now? The answer for? Steak frites.
A former head of acquisitions at storied specialty distributor IFC, Shuman took the reins of AMC’s film group in July, which now includes, in addition to IFC, genre-focused home video stalwart RLJ Entertainment and popular horror streaming service Shudder. Shudder plans to release about 30 films a year, both directly on the platform and in theatres, while IFC and RLJ have about 20 films a year, he says.
Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, Schumann talked about why he’s excited about the Cannes lineup, how his company has adapted to the dual strikes, and the ongoing battle to get moviegoers back into theaters.
What were your first thoughts about the Cannes lineup when you saw it?
Cannes presented one of the most impressive automotive lineups we’ve seen in a while. When you look at other lineups, whether it’s Toronto or Sundance, there really weren’t the kind of star-studded alums that we traditionally expect at these festivals. But when you have an Andrea Arnold movie with a Francis Ford Coppola movie next to a Paul Schrader movie, [Paolo] The Sorrentino film, I think they’re showing that they’re the Cadillac of film festivals and this is the place to be and the place to premiere.
Before Cannes last year, we didn’t know it but we were headed for double strikes and a six-month work stoppage. How did you and the team use that time?
We were heading into the strikes in pretty good shape. We had a full slate. We have three verticals of distribution between IFC, Shudder, and RLJ, so we had a lot of chess pieces to move around on the board. The year I took over, a lot of what we did was really focused on the institutional stuff. We needed to figure out how to get these three divisions to work together, move together, mobilize together, and work together to strategically buy, build slates. For us, every release is custom. The theater and the sub market has really evolved in real time. We are keenly interested in re-educating consumers as they begin to return to theatres.
How do you re-educate the user?
It’s not an overnight thing, it’s a gradual thing. We sit there and try to figure out: What is the tipping point that drives someone to the theater? People don’t hear from one person, “This movie is out now, you should see it,” and say, “Great, let me get out my phone and buy a ticket.” These are usually three to five touch points, and we have to think about what they are. We don’t have television ads and newspapers. You have to know how to do it organically, and that’s a mix of earned and unearned individuality. But, it was sending flavored ice cream, which is an item in the movie. But, it was recreating a broadcast that we had done with. [live event producer] BBQ Movies in New York Our movies are the highest rated on the market. This is just the entry point, now. No idea is too stupid, we’re trying everything. The group of friends who might have watched a movie every Tuesday afternoon is no longer a convenient audience. It’s figuring out the audience that might go to the movies once a month and figuring out how to become their first choice.
The IFC title got a lot of love last year, with limited release at the domestic box office, play on streaming, and more than $1.4 million on year-end “best of” lists. When did you know the film was going to work?
We were still trying to figure out what to do with the film, and it was premiering at the Berlin Film Festival. I was sitting in the room, and about an hour later, there was a medical emergency and they stopped the movie. It’s not good enough to know if a movie is going to work sitting in a room with strangers. So, I look around the room and they’re all pushed back in their seats. It’s an hour and 15 minutes into the movie and, when it’s on medical delay, I called back to my office in New York and I was like, “Let’s find the window, it’s going to be a theater, let’s go big.” .” When festivals were online—and for theaters, it was hard to know who was open and who wasn’t—that was something we were all missing.
Sundance had a solid showing in terms of sales. What do you think this means for the rest of the year, including Cannes, for domestic sales?
Anytime this amount of capital is injected into a free ecosystem, it’s a win-win. There was some hesitation about some movies that might have sold faster in previous generations, but I think what made me happy was that the right places got the right movies in a lot of situations. We walked out of the market and couldn’t be happier with our purchase. When was the last time I saw so much emotion in a screening room at Sundance? Is this the movie we bought for $20 million? No. Is it a film we’re trying to make and the way we connect with people? Yes.
As compared to the previous two years, it appears that there was a wider range of sales, as a handful of films were going for eight figures.
The fact that a few big players can snag an output deal could save the independent ecosystem. They don’t seem inclined to do that, so the next best thing is to pay a financier who’s going to finance another film that we’re going to buy. Getting money back into the system is really healthy and gives me hope. Looking at the first quarter and what my competitors and I have done gives me hope. What A24 has done is fantastic. We all benefit from their success. Come out and do that number while I watch [the movie grossed over $25 million in its opening weekend], this is great for the foreign presale market as hopefully those distributors are a bit more flush than before. I really think that when studios are trying to figure out how to go their way. [in theaters]Indies are always at the forefront of change, both creatively and institutionally.
It was recently announced that Sundance may be leaving its Park City location. Where would you put Sundance if you were in charge?
I would like to see it have a direct flight with cheap accommodation.
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