In this section we look at what has happened to films for which we have information on production, but not on theatrical release at any time (we do not use the release within two years of principal photography criterion in this section). Our data on box office and theatrical release details are supplied by Rentrak, and so the definition of release also depends on having the release data from this company. Occasionally a film might be released for a short time in a small number of venues but is not tracked by Rentrak. Such a film would be included as not released in the release rate calculations (even if the limited release occurred within two years of principal photography). Even where a film is not shown in a cinema (whether tracked or not), there are many other ways for it to be seen by an audience, and so it is of interest to know what happens to films which do not achieve a theatrical release.
We have looked at 620 independent domestic UK films, produced between 2003 and 2011, for which we had information on production but no data on theatrical release from Rentrak. Using other sources of information (IMDb, film festival websites, films’ own websites, etc) the outcome of these film projects (whether they have been shown at any venue or festival or whether they were made available on any medium) was investigated. There are many possibilities for the outcome of a film project and Table 8.7 shows the number of films, by budget, which fall into three broad outcome categories:
• The film has been completed and shown or is available; • The film is still in production or post-production; and • No information found.
The last category includes all films for which no information was available from the sources
investigated; it does not indicate a definite outcome. For example, any film for which production has been abandoned would fall into the last category, but not all films in this category would have been abandoned. Table 8.7 shows that, overall, at least 414 (67%) of the 620 films which did not achieve a theatrical release were shown on another medium or are available on some other platform.
% of films 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Shown / available 70.0 59.6 64.6 In production / post-production 7.4 6.0 8.3 No information 22.7 34.3 27.1
Source: BFI RSU Notes:
Films which had limited releases that were not tracked by Rentrak are considered to be not released. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
<£0.5 million £0.5 - £2 million £2+ million
Table 8.7 Outcome of projects by budget for independent domestic UK films which have not been released theatrically, production years 2003-2011
Budget
Outcome <£0.5 million £0.5 - £2 million £2+ million Total
Shown/available 284 99 31 414
In production/post-production 30 10 4 44
No information 92 57 13 162
Total 406 166 48 620
Source BFI RSU
Note: Films which had limited releases that were not tracked by Rentrak are considered to be not released.
For non-released films, the percentage of films which have been shown at a small venue or festival or are available to audiences on one or more release platforms is in the range 60%-70% for all budget bands (Figure 8.3). Overall, two thirds (67%) of films have been shown or are available, and a further 7% of films are still in production/post-production.
Figure 8.3 Percentages of ‘non-released’ independent domestic UK films falling into each of three basic outcome categories by budget, production years 2003-2011
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
The amount of total budget by outcome for the non-released films shows a similar pattern to the numbers of films by outcome (Figure 8.4). Overall, the films which have been shown or are available or are still in production/post-production account for just over 70% of the total budget for all films.
Figure 8.4 Percentages of total budget for ‘non-released’ independent domestic UK films falling into each of three basic outcome categories by budget, production years 2003-2011
For films that have been identified as having been shown at some venue or are available on some platform, Table 8.8 shows, by production period and budget, where they have been shown or are
available. Some films are available on more than one platform or have been shown or broadcast and are also available on video or online, and so the sums over the categories in this Table are greater than the Table totals.
Table 8.8 Numbers of ‘non-released’ independent domestic UK films shown or available by budget, production years 2003-2011
Outcome <£0.5 million £0.5 - £2 million £2+ million
Available on physical video 111 47 18
Available online 15 6 –
Shown on television 16 11 11
Limited UK theatrical release 65 13 2
International release 10 5 1
Shown at film festival and other 146 47 11
Shown at film festival only 94 24 5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % of total budget Shown / available 74.7 62.7 63.9 In production / post-production 7.3 5.1 7.9 No information 18.0 32.3 28.2
Source: BFI RSU Notes:
Films which had limited releases that were not tracked by Rentrak are considered to be not released. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
For films made with budgets of £2 million or more, which were not released theatrically but have been shown or are available, the most common platform on which they are available is physical video. For films in the other two budget bands, screenings at film festivals represent the most common platform for reaching audiences. The films shown at festivals have been divided into films screened at festivals and also available elsewhere and films screened at festivals only. A film festival provides in effect a one- off opportunity for a film to be viewed so a film shown just at a festival has less opportunity to reach an audience than one shown at a festival and also available on other platforms.
Figure 8.5 Percentages of ‘non-released’ independent domestic UK films in each shown or availability category by budget, production years 2003-2011
% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Available on physical video 39.1 47.5 58.1 Available online 5.3 6.1 – Shown on television 5.6 11.1 35.5 Limited UK theatrical release 22.9 13.1 6.5 International release 3.5 5.1 3.2 Shown at film festival and other 51.4 47.5 35.5 Shown at film festival only 33.1 24.2 16.1
Source: BFI RSU Notes:
Percentages over categories add to more than 100 as some films are included in more than one category. Films which had limited releases that were not tracked by Rentrak are considered to be not released.
<£0.5 million £0.5 - £2 million £2+ million
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• For cinema admissions and box office in 2013 see Chapter 1 (page 10) • For more on UK films on video see Chapter 11 (page 121)• For more on UK films on television see Chapter 13 (page 138) • For more on UK films internationally see Chapter 6 (page 60) • For more on the UK film economy see Chapter 21 (page 220)
Distribution
FACTS IN FOCUS:
The top 10 distributors had a 96% share of the market in 2013, slightly higher than in 2012.
The market share for distributors outside the top 10, at 4%, was the lowest since 2005
Weekdays (Monday to Thursday) accounted for 41% of the box office in 2013, slightly less than in 2012. Opening weekends represented 28% of the total box office.
The estimated total amount spent by distributors on advertising films released theatrically was just over £189 million.
The average advertising spend for studio-backed UK films was £1.4 million, compared with £1.7 million in 2012.