Cinema Distribution

The term "cinema distribution" is used broadly to describe the process by which a movie is distributed by a distributor. Movie distribution is the easy part of the equation: once a movie has been completed, the hard part - finding an audience - lies in hand. Film distribution is usually the responsibility of a distributor, who will decide upon the distribution strategy for his or her client. Distributors are best known as the men and women who handle the distribution of films that have been purchased by movie theaters. They are also the people who make their living from renting out movies to their clients or selling them to them after having screened them.

It is a common misconception that the role of the distributor in cinema distribution is as simple as the former; in fact, a well-known movie personality once remarked that distribution involves so many things. The movie distributor must first of all secure screening rights from studios and cable networks; secondly he or she must secure international release rights for a given movie. Thirdly, the movie distribution company must cater to the different demands of various customers by distributing a movie in a number of ways. A distributor must therefore consider all these aspects while deciding on the distribution of his or her client's films.

After securing the rights from studios and cable companies, the next task of the distributor is to find a distributor. Movie distributors are firms who facilitate the distribution of movies either on a fee basis or on a co-seller basis. Fee-based distributors require a monthly fee from the client, which is passed on to the studio and then the producer of the movie pays that same monthly fee to the distributor. On the other hand, co-sellers-based distributors pay a percentage of the profits of the movie to the distributor who purchases their movies. Most important of all, there is a fee called the advance fee, which is paid to the distributor who arranges for the initial screenings of a film. The fee is charged irrespective of the actual performance of the movie.

Depending upon the type of distribution one wishes to opt for, a distributor may buy the complete running time of the movie. Alternatively, if a distributor does not wish to buy the entire running time of a movie, he can restrict himself to renting out the movie's running time. This means that if the movie has less running time, then the distributor must either reduce the number of shows he will make or compromise with the price. In fact, many cinemas do not permit distributors to show films more than two hours long as they will be charged extra for it.

If films are bought by auction, distributors have to buy the tickets at auction counters. A distributor must understand that if a movie is not a hit, then it may not sell at an auction. It is therefore essential for a distributor to do extensive market research before he or she places an order for a movie to be sold at an auction. Market research is essential because a distributor must know what kinds of tickets will sell and which kinds of movies will fail to sell. Distributors should also keep an eye on the auctions in order to know which films need to be avoided at the auction. This research is also useful for a distributor to know what kind of audience he will be targeting when making his distribution deal.

Before actually going ahead with a cinema distribution deal, a distributor must decide on various things such as the budget, types of films he wishes to release, the distribution company, the marketing strategy and of course, the talent involved in the project. The choice of the talent is important because the director will only choose the talented people if they are also talented enough to attract the audience. It is crucial for a distributor to understand the concept of cinema distribution because it will determine how successful the movie is going to be. Thus, it is necessary for the cinema distribution company to understand the audience, the director and the actors/actresses so that they can choose a suitable distributor who will also help them in earning a decent amount.