Have You Heard about 'Eat Pray Love'?
Perhaps I've simply missed the marketing...
Photo: Columbia Pictures
I was updating the weekend box-office figures from estimates to results while at the same time taking a look at this coming weekend's releases and trying to gauge what films will do what kind of business. Looking over the list I began to notice one film doesn't seem to have the same presence as the others… at least not that I have seen.
I've already seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and can report back that it is phenomenally entertaining. I saw The Expendables just last night and had fun with it, though I'm not entirely sure how much fun just yet. Then there's Eat Pray Love, a little film starring someone named Julia Roberts and directed by that chap behind some TV show called "nip/tuck" and another you may have heard of called "Glee". Ringing any bells? If so, did you know Eat Pray Love is coming out this weekend?
Okay, perhaps the regular readership of a movie news website isn't the best audience to ask when it comes to wondering if you knew a movie was coming out in four days. I'm sure you are fully aware (not that Columbia did any advertising around these parts… shame!) But as I was trying to come up with some kind of prediction for this weekend's box-office results I started to wonder just what should I compare Eat Pray Love to? Under the Tuscan Sun? Duplicity? Leap Year? I can tell you this, no matter what I do I can't find a movie to compare it to that tells me this film will make over $18 million this weekend.
Next I started to wonder what kind of awareness there was for the film? I mean, Julia and author Elizabeth Gilbert were on Oprah, but so was Nicole Kidman for Australia and the entire cast of Nine and we know how that turned out. And I'm not the only one wondering about this. Guy Lodge over at In Contention is sharing the same wavelength (albeit an ocean away) and wondering the same things.
A couple of weekends ago Fox's Ramona and Beezus hit theaters and people were wondering where the marketing was. I personally assumed the film was being marketed in corners I didn't often visit. Can the same thing be said for Eat Pray Love? Are Lifetime and the Oxygen channel running trailers for this thing nonstop? Is there any kind of online presence you've noticed? Demographics for RopeofSilicon tell me I've got a pretty good ratio of male-to-female readers… nearly 50/50 in fact and there hasn't been an ounce of marketing around these parts. Perhaps a balanced group of avid moviegoers aren't of much concern… too bad for you.
I know Cost Plus World Market has designated Eat Pray Love sections in their store. Julia was on Good Morning America (video right) and stopped by "Live with Regis and Kelly" while Gilbert was profiled on "Nightline". Roberts is on the September cover of ELLE, discussed her ten pound weight gain with CBS News and was on David Letterman on August 5. The New York Daily News did a piece saying the movie sheds light on shopping in Delhi and Brooks Barnes did a profile on director Ryan Murphy at the New York Times.
That's really about all I can find in terms of legit media appearances, but it seems to me merchandising is the real name of this game.
The Home Shopping Network is taking the opportunity to sell women stuff they don't need, while fashion designer Sue Wong is launching a new clothing line surrounding the film. Something called SVNGR does something I can't quite find the attention span to care about and then Dogeared Jewelry finds a way to sell women even more stuff. Borders is giving it some love and if you have any last minute travel plans, STA Travel has you covered. Looking at this lot, does this sell the movie or a bunch of products?
Another question would be to wonder where are the early reviews or any kind of buzz whatsoever? One could say Lionsgate and Universal are getting early word out on Expendables and Scott Pilgrim because they are going up against America's sweetheart this weekend, but here in Seattle we are finally seeing Eat Pray Love tonight (8/10), only 24 hours before the Wednesday deadline for dailies. Is this a sign of concern or one of confidence? Does Sony think they have this one in the bag?
I'm curious to find out just what we're dealing with and really hope for the best. Personally I enjoy Roberts as well as the foreign road trip, looking for love kind of films despite how ridiculous they all are. However, knowing the film is based on a bestselling book, I'm surprised the only two women I've discussed the film with that also read the book, hated the book and have no intention of seeing the movie. Considering the aim here is obviously the female demographic I wonder how many others there are out there in the same boat.
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When are you putting up your Scott Pilgrim review?????? I'm so excited for it, and i think your reviews are usually dead on :-).
I m not American and I am a fan of J.Ro so I cant comment properly on this but I got the impression that they are marketing this to death? If you look at the imdb boards, people complain about the TV spots and posters being everywhere and how you cant escape from Julia's grin. Of course, they are haters, but my impression was that this was indeed marketed very well (and maybe milked to death, but of course, I am searching for all this on the net, so I am not the person to judge). The film also has about 600.000 facebook fans which is more than SALT and Inception had before their release date.
Of course, I have no idea if this is good marketing or niche marketing… I do think they are not exactly going for the (male-centric) blog-o-sphere for this one. But rather your every woman who does not necessarily have the time to browse the internet 24 7.
Actually, at least in Massachusetts, there are posters EVERYWHERE and tv spots between every show so in MY opinion they're marketing this quite a bit.
cant wait to see this film with/without marketing
hope it meets the expectations critics/box office wise but of course i prefer the latter because i think this film was made to be enjoyed.
I think the movie focus on Twitter-marketing (that makes quite many box-office surprised winner), and links to a lots of brand that suit the title. Anyhow, I still hope Julia Roberts could take Sandy B. turn become this year come-back A-list star.
I just post a theme song music video (Eddie Vedder’s Better Days) for this movie, and its contained a tons of fresh-beautiful scenes.:-)
All the women in my family want to see the movie – based only on the book, which they loved. I only found out a couple of weeks ago that the book is a huge best seller. I'm betting it'll be a hit in the US.
I'm not dying to see it. It looks like a silly version of Under The Tuscan Sun, minus Diane Lane's gigantic charm.
I think EAT PRAY LOVE will be a big hit. Near a 30 million opening and around 100 million overall. I am predicting Scott PIlgram to make around 7 million for the weekend with around 15 million overall.
Expendables I do believe will win the weekend but will be extremely front loaded. Close to $40 million for the 3 days but total to be around 85 million…But I bet Expendables will do pretty damn decent worldwide.
im so excited for this film i hope people will take notice and watch this movie.
I might be tempted to see Eat Pray Love for one reason, and one reason alone: It was shot by Robert Richardson.
This is a very interesting article because it is the exact opposite of what I have been anticipating here in Washington D.C. They have been running trailers non-stop, there are posters, bookstores are re-releasing the book with the movie stills and a new cover..Despite whether or not I think it will live up to the book, most university students, women, and even a lot of men I have spoken to intend or are interested in seeing it. This makes it much more exciting to see how the movie will turn out! I thought it was a sure thing, but now I am not so sure!
In terms of promotion? There are posters everywhere for the film. Julia did Good Morning America, Letterman, Regis and Kelly, and Oprah (which wil re-air this week). Javier did Good Morning America and Julia will be on Good Morning America again tomorrow. During the finale of the Bachelorette they had a 5 minute sneak peek at Eat, Pray, Love, over the weekend they had a USA "More than a Pretty Woman" marathon dedicated to Julia that included her talking about Eat Pray Love and showing scenes from the film. There are Eat Pray Love trucks in select cities giving out free gelato (the one in NYC is in Times Square).
In addition to all of that, there is a colossal amount of merchandising tie-ins everywhere, and the commercials for the film are running all the time on the major networks (a little too much IMO).
Also the book is back in the top 5 on nearly every Best Seller's list, including the New York Times (FYI, Julia Robert is now on the cover of the book)
I'm going to see this on Saturday with my book club of about 15 women.
Also, this movie has been screened about a zillion times, several celebrities have gone to Twitter and Facebook to talk about seeing and liking the film (Ryan Seacrest, Brooke Burke, Christie Brinkley, the cast of Glee, etc.)
I knew about this movie because I check the "2010 in film" Wikipedia article to keep track on release dates almost every day. It was the only time I had read that "Eat Pray Love" was getting a movie because neither RopeofSilicon, ComingSoon.Net or any cable channel I watched has ever mentioned it.
Nor have any other websites I frequent. Maybe I'm just not in their demographic and if I'm not, well, screw them, because I watch ANY and EVERY type of movie, they shouldn't label me, those bastards.
Come on man, I've been covering it since 2009. Gimme a little credit eh?
Joking aside, I agree, people that love movies, love all kinds of movies. Many online sites have been pegged as genre sites, but I think the readership around these parts has proven we are interested in all types of movies… Even some of the films I skip others around here can't wait to see (Miley movies for example).
I'm just curious, in the commercials, she eats A LOT. There is no way in the world that they would let her gain weight in the movie.
Movies like this always reminds me of the Family Guy quote, making fun of these type of movies. The women is at work, very busy, no time for a family, guy walks in, says "over the next 90 minutes, i'd like to show you that all your problems can be solved by my p****.
One of the stories I linked to above mentions how Julia gained ten pounds shooting the movie.
Steve J, the whole point of the book was that a woman's problems can't be solved by any part of a man. It's about how the author learned NOT to define herself by a relationship with a man. It's not a genre rom-com at all – at least it shouldn't be.
I think Eat Pray Love will do okay. I don't think it will do amazing. But it will do much better than Duplicity. And I thought it had a lot of marketing. To me all those media appearances you listed show someone promoting the film a lot. Being on all the talk shows, not to mention using merchandise to promote it. I think Roberts' people are trying to take it easy with the reviews because they so desperately want this to be a hit and didn't want any bad buzz out earlier. Roberts is desperate for this to be a hit because it will show if she really has it. Duplicity showed she can't do great with any movie, but if she can't do great with this type of tailor made America's Sweetheart role, she's considered a has been.
I thought Roberts was great in Duplicity.
I agree Brad, very little marketing on this one. I think the most I see is from book stores with newly released copies with Julia Roberts now on the cover. The thing is, the book was a fad and a "flavour of the month" type of deal that didn't have much lasting appeal other than the short 15 minutes of fame it garnered, and so the movie is really coming in when everyone has forgotten about this book. I don't see it doing very well at the box office. It's kind of like releasing The Da Vinci Code this summer you know? The craze has come and gone.
Plenty of marketing on this..
I believe Sony is actually trying to keep the film in theaters a bit longer. I know, crazy to think it can be done in this day and age.. but, they're only releasing on 2,500 prints, taking higher end locations, releasing 3 weeks before Labor Day (so looking for week 4 to boost it back up a bit), and you've looked too far for the comparable film – it's Sony's own Julie and Julia from last year (released one weekend earlier, Aug 7, 2009). J&J went out on 2354 screens and did over $20M in its first weekend and a $94M total gross. That was a well reviewed, Meryl Streep, female-oriented pic based on a true person and I'd guess this Julia Roberts vehicle has a little more juice to it.
Good thing is that the film, which I've seen, is pretty good, especially for the folks who enjoyed the book. Certainly so much more creative and entertaining then the standard Hollywood RomCom's, which it is a push to really call.
My biggest problem with the film was the need/rush to establish a failed marriage, a new boyfriend, the desire to leave, all in 25 minutes as they obviously wanted to shoot as much as possible on location in Italy, India and Bali. But, if it starts a little awkwardly, it pays off once she gets on the road.
All three locations are pretty spectacular – worth the price of admission just for that – the food in Italy, dense forests and beaches of Bali, but of particular note is the performance of Richard Jenkins as 'Richard' in the India sequence. He's such a fine actor and wonderful here. Supporting Actor Oscar nominee with a bullet.
I see $20M plus for opening and strong per-screen averages. And expect it to be a significant player until Labor Day Tuesday when the industry goes in the toilet for a few weeks!
A Julia Roberts film four days prior to being released not reviewed……..Hmmmmm
To be honest, nothing against Julia, but I have no desire to see this.
As for Marketing, I haven't seen a lot of it (in Chicago). I still see Inception posters downtown. I haven't been by Borders lately, maybe they're marketing it there. I don't know about commercials and such because I don't watch tv a lot in the summer.
I have no idea how this movie will do, because I haven't paid much attention to it.
wow i like what danny of #16 said about the film which he had seen. i really like this film to succeed especially at the box office. his comment made me more excited to watch this movie.thanks.
Besides from a few posters I've seen at some theaters, I personally have not seen any real trailers or tv commercials for this. Like you, I assumed it was simply being promoted to different demographics. But for whatever reason, none of my female friends or family members seem to be interested. My own mother said that it looked "cheesey". While talking about up-coming movies, all my female co-workers said that they all have no desire to see it. So I don't know. I will say, on my behalf, that i've no desire to see this myself.
This girl iv recently started seeing wants me to go see this with her bad because she feels she's in a similar situation as the character in the book(which she loved) and movie, letting go of a failed relationship and concentrating on yourself to make yourself happy for once. So obviously I looked into the movie and though I'm interested because I want to be open minded to this girls interests but also that from what iv heard a little bit that this stays fairly true to the book. I don't think it will be a big big hit (too much to compete with) but because it's the only film targeted for mainly females I think it will do fine. My guess 16 mil
Eat Pray Love should be comparable to Julie and Julia. It's a good way to judge how well it will do because Julie and Julia came out around the same time of year with its advertising targeted at the same group, young to middle aged women. Julie and Julia was also expected to earn Oscar nominations, just the way Eat Pray Love is, and has a great writer, in Julie and Julia's case, Nora Ephron, and in Eat Pray Love's case, Ryan Murphy. So if things go as planned, it will be a hit.
I've also seen quite a bit of advertising for it in New York City.
I have to agree with whoever said that the marketting of this movie has been done to death… its all over the radio spots…someone ( i believe it was ryan seacrest) on the raido was going on and on abt it for a good 15 mins…but he was actually spot on…everywhere you see you will find women reading this book…the women folks are going to line up for this marketting or no marketting… but even amongst the tweens it is being marketed as the movie by the creator of GLEE ( i admit am no tween but i love me some GLEE) and i love ryan murphy's nip/tuck so i am interested in seeing what he does with this genre… plus its got Italy India and Bali…you can have all the cliche's you need and more… put on a ill-fitting kurti and you achieve nirvana.. eat a ravioli and its instant orgasm and you will meet a tall dark ( a tanned caucasian actually ) handsome man in the exotic east … i think i am coming off negative but am not trying…i am still going to see the movie… its Julie-freaking-roberts after all she is good for a few laughs..ALWAYS… i think ur estimate of 18mil is way too low… i expect it to hit somewhere arnd 25-30mil… there has been a dearth of good chick-flick/date-movie in a while and this might just be what the doctor ordered.
I've seen a fair amount of television advertising, but then my family watches a lot of Travel Channel, HGTV and Food Network, and I'm betting those are where I saw them. Seems very one-the-nose for that demographic.
There are TV spots everywhere for this movie! I think there has been plenty of marketing, and not just on Lifetime and Oxygen, since I don't watch those channels and still see this movie advertised everywhere. Also, it's a romantic comedy with Julia Roberts!!! How can there be any question about whether this film will do well or not? My mom is very excited about this one and she doesn't even pay that much attention to movies, so they've clearly gotten the notice of their target audience. I definitely wouldn't count this one out.
wow so please do research before you write an article up.
they're have been so many ads for this movie on tv for a while now. i bet eat pray love will do better than scott pilgram. i know its getting good reviews but younger audiences arent interested in this one.
I hate to generalize/stereotype… but it's a pretty good guess that if you're a chick you know about this movie..
I think I first read about this movie from this site. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine told me about a book she was just starting to read, this book. From the sound of it I think I will not be interested in seeing this movie, Julia in a finding herself -kinda story is not really my kinda thing. I'll have to check back with my friend to see what she thought of the book, that's always interesting to hear.
As for marketing I haven't seen any but that's no surprise since I don't really watch tv and Eat Pray Love is opening here early October.