2001: Nippy News Release Articles

Teen movies negotiate marketing cactus patch
submitted by: Lisa D.
source: The Hollywood Reporter
Date: August 2, 2001

By Marla Matzer Rose

LOS ANGELES -- It's the "Princess" vs. the "Pie" as Disney and Universal make a play for teenage moviegoers over the next two weekends. The two movies -- the G-rated "The Princess Diaries" and the R-rated "American Pie 2" -- couldn't be more different. Although they represent opposite ends of the spectrum, they both must traverse the same tricky terrain of teen marketing.

Given the heightened political atmosphere, the two studios' disparate strategies are likely to face intense scrutiny: As they brace themselves for another congressional grilling, studios insist that they're not marketing R-rated movies to teens. And theater owners have cracked down on underage admissions to R-rated films. But even given the constraints that it faces, Universal might have an easier time selling "Pie" than what Disney faces in attempting to win "Princess" a boxoffice crown, for there is one thing marketers do agree on: Selling a G-rated picture featuring teens is harder than selling an R-rated one.

"If it's not a Disney animated film, to come out with a G-rated film is pretty tough," said Linda Goldenberg, a studio marketing veteran who now heads marketing for Mitch Goldman's Premiere Group. "R obviously presents its own challenges; PG-13 is often considered ideal."

On Friday, Disney will take that risk, releasing the G-rated "Princess," featuring a teen heroine (Anne Hathaway). One week later, Universal will launch "Pie" -- an R-rated movie whose teen characters are a far raunchier bunch.

So why make films with either a G or an R rating if you hope to get teens into the theater -- why not always aim for a PG or PG-13? Marketers say it's not uncommon for a studio to make a movie just a little racier to bump it up from a bland PG to a spicier PG-13. Conversely, movies are fairly regularly trimmed to achieve a PG-13 rather than a restrictive R: This week, MGM said it plans to cut its upcoming "Rollerball" with an eye toward a more teen-friendly PG-13 rating.

Representatives for Disney and Universal declined comment, citing an unwillingness to discuss marketing moves. But a Universal spokesperson released the following statement: "We have always acted responsibly in the marketing of our motion pictures and continue to be dedicated to this commitment."

In recent interviews, "Princess" director Garry Marshall has said one reason that he decided to make a G-rated film was to give his grandchildren a movie to see. The director of "Pretty Woman" and "The Runaway Bride" also points out that a bit of well-crafted counterprogramming is always worth a shot. And, of course, Disney has a family-friendly brand to mine and a huge media machine through which to run "Princess," whether it's a runaway hit or not.

On the other hand, making an R-rated film that will have big teen appeal has advantages that can outweigh the risks. Goldenberg said that although many theaters have cracked down on underage admissions, many teens will "still find a way" to get in -- by patronizing a theater more lax in its policies, persuading an adult to get them in or sneaking into a different theater in the multiplex with their ticket stub to a PG movie stuffed firmly into their pockets. While the latter technique doesn't contribute to a film's boxoffice take, it doesn't hurt in furthering the buzz that can drive more traffic to the theater.

Video is also a proven tool for building an audience for sequels like "Pie." Universal has just released an "Ultimate Edition" DVD version of the original "American Pie," which has already been a hit on video. The Video Software Dealers Assn. has issued voluntary guidelines for retailers, called the Pledge to Parents, which calls on participating retailers to agree not to sell or rent R-rated videos to children under the age of 17 without parental consent. In reality, though, industry executives -- and many parents -- say that teens regularly watch R-rated movies at their own homes or those of their friends.

"There's probably not a 9-year-old who hasn't seen the Freddy Krueger movies on video. ... Times have changed," said Chris Pula, the longtime New Line marketing chief who spent shorter stints at Disney and Warner Bros. Many executives, in fact, say they feel scapegoated by congressional crusaders, when in reality parents don't seem to either care (or notice) what their kids are seeing.

And have times really changed that much? Probably not. Goldenberg recalls, for example, how Paramount released both PG and R versions of "Saturday Night Fever" in the 1970s. "Kids definitely wanted to see the R one," she recalls.

Marketing of R-rated films has been curtailed recently on channels like MTV and on shows whose under-18 viewership constitutes more than one-third of the audience. But marketers still are reaching millions of kids with R-rated movie ads. "There's no such thing as delivery of a pure demographic," Pula said.

Case in point: Universal advertised the "Pie" sequel on this week's NBC summer hit "Fear Factor." The show airs from 8-9 p.m. and has been attracting more than 12 million viewers per week. Although the show airs with warnings and is not targeted specifically at children, about 17% of its audience is composed of children ages 17 and younger, according to Nielsen ratings; it actually plays slightly better with kids 11 and under than it does with those ages 12-17.

A studio source privately concedes that Universal might not have made the original "Pie" as an R-rated film given the current climate. The first film was released in 1999, just after many theaters vowed to crack down on child admissions to R-rated films but before the current firestorm of congressional scrutiny. But given the success of the first, a sequel was inevitable. The studio emphasizes, though, that the characters in the sequel are now college-age, making them old enough in real life to see an R-rated film on their own.

The fact is, though, that kids tend to be "aspirational" in their entertainment choices. That is, younger teens are often even more keen on seeing the antics of college-age students than are college-age moviegoers themselves. That's one reason why "American Pie 2" almost surely will garner more heat with teens than will "Princess," which is set largely in high school.

The 15-year-old heroine of "Princess" most likely will appeal to tweens -- those kids just shy of their teenage years -- who have outgrown traditional kiddie fare. Parents lamenting the dearth of G-rated family fare might also find themselves joining the line at the multiplex. Certainly, Disney appears to be marketing "Princess" more to parents and tweens than to teens. Given the odds, that's probably a wise choice.