Trust your distributors more: Hoyts
Hoyts Distribution CEO Robert Slaviero says filmmakers must trust distributors more when it comes to releasing their films.
The executive added that investment in local productions “is not something we [Hoyts Distribution] are looking to do”.
What were your strongest performing films of the 2009/2010 financial year?
The Twilight Saga: New Moon ($38.3m), Letters To Juliet ($4.4m ) and Astro Boy ($3.0m) were the top three. Overall a very solid year, our best ever.
What titles didn’t necessarily meet your expectations?
We had a couple of titles that didn’t fire. Bandslam for instance was a terrific little film which we loved and put a lot of time and effort into but just didn’t get off the ground.
Having both a distribution and an exhibition division, how do you feel about changes in release windows?
I’d like to think that there will always be a theatrical window. After all, theatrical is the launching pad for every other medium; a theatrical success often determines the rest of a film’s life cycle.
What was your best campaign of the year?
The New Moon campaign was phenomenal but I’d also say our Letters To Juliet campaign really delivered to the target audience.
Is the 10 percent of the US box office rule still the norm to compare the performance of a film? Only as a rule of thumb. Genre-specific films like horror average around 6 percent whereas romantic comedies get as high as 12 percent in some cases.
Is the slate of Australian films more diverse than it was a couple of years ago? Will the performance of recent local hits increase distributors’ interest in local product?
Yes. It’s more diverse and more consumer-friendly given some recent results. I can only speak for Hoyts Distribution when it comes to local product; we’ve always supported local acquisitions but don’t have the capacity to take on as many as we would like. We need to be very selective with our choices as we do with all of our acquisitions.
Is there any audience knowledge that distributors have that is no reaching local producers/writers/directors?
I have a lot of time and respect for filmmakers. It’s very difficult to get films made so I know how much time and hard work go into a project. Having said that, there needs to be a greater level of trust towards distributors when it comes to releasing the finished film. At the end of the day we’re all working towards the same goal, a successful and profitable release for everyone involved.
Overall, how would you describe Hoyts’ past experience distributing Australian films?
Overall very good, hard work but enjoyable and rewarding when everything comes together. There are certainly many people I’ve worked with over the years that I’d love to work with again and thankfully only a few that I’d pass on.
Has Hoyts looked at the possibility of investing in production?
Not something we’re looking to do. Distribution is tough enough.
What are the main mistakes that Australian producers make when they approach a distributor?
No finance in place, no cast ideas, underdeveloped scripts. Nothing I hate more than after reading a script being told there is a new draft.
What should they keep in mind when pitching a project – emphasis on the business side instead of just the storyline, perhaps?
It always gets down to how good the script is, but there definitely needs to be a business plan in place.
With your knowledge of the local market, what are Australian distributors really looking for in a local film?
Good scripts, solid cast and a defined specific target audience. The worse thing a producer can say to a distributor is ‘this film is for all people 8 to 80’.
What is the ten percent of the US Box Office rule?
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That films here make about 10 percent of what they make there.
U$200m in the US = $20m in Aus.