Hollywood Report Publicity, Not Ad Pages, Does Job For 'phantom'

"Phantom" message: It's too soon to say where "The Phantom Phantom" will wind up, but with a first-day gross of $28.5 million, clearly the boxoffice force remains with 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm.

"Phantom" has sent Hollywood a valuable message about movie marketing. Fox and Lucasfilm are believed to have launched "Phantom" without spending close to the $30 million studios routinely sink into marketing big films. That restraint was noticeable unday when only a half-page black and white ad ran in the L.A. Times to trumpet "Phantom's" opening and no ad ran in the New York Times. Traditionally, event films are heralded in both Times with full page ads or, better yet, two- or three-page color spreads.

In a recent Reuters story, Competitive Media Reporting, which tracks advertising expenditures, said only five TV spots for "Phantom" ran from January through April. A CMR researcher explained, "That's almost nonexistent. It looks like they're not spending any money on this at all."

What Fox and Lucasfilm understand, which others apparently do not, is the enormous value of publicity as a marketing tool. When consumers are bombarded with advertising, publicity is an effective way to cut through the commercial clutter with the message. It doesn't hurt that Fox and Lucasfilm had the event film of the century to work with. Nonetheless, the same strategy should also work for lesser event films. To get publicity, though, you must have publicity materials, and studios frequently don't generate these tools -- production notes, stills, color slides, trailers and electronic press kits -- early enough to achieve the most media coverage.

As one who's always chasing after publicity materials that aren't ready yet, I can recite the most common excuses -- (a) They're still being approved by the filmmakers; (b) They were rejected by the filmmakers and are being reworked on a rush basis; and (c) We should have them tomorrow.

Much of the thinking that perpetuates this approach is conditioned by Hollywood's mistaken belief that wildly expensive network TV campaigns kicking in days before a film opens are the most effective way to attract moviegoers.

"Phantom" had the advantage that virtually everyone -- in this case, including even the proverbial man from Mars -- knows what it is. With most films, you have to educate the public, which publicity can do on a cost-efficient basis.

One byproduct of "Phantom's" advance buzz was that it scared away most of the potential competition. Universal, however, proved to be a smart competitor by bookending "Phantom" with its own event film, "The Mummy," an action adventure appealing especially to young men, and "Notting Hill," a romantic comedy appealing to women of all ages.

"Mummy," which did about $84 million before "Phantom" arrived, is an established hit that will be the next choice for those who can't get in to see "Phantom." That spillover effect was clear Wednesday when "Mummy" grossed a lively $1.3 million. "Notting," arriving May 28 in about 2,500 theaters, is strong counterprogramming. It should be the first choice for the sizable female audience that's least likely to be lining up for "Phantom" over Memorial Day weekend.