Relativity’s Rogue Goes Vegas, Baby

COMMENTS (11)

• I can’t say that I’m wild about this deal. Slapping your name on things are not going to put bums in seats. Nobody goes to a movie because they like studio’s logo, they go because they want to see that particular movie.

  If you want people to view your studio as some sort of symbol of quality, then make good films that people want to see. Not slap your name on a concert hall like you’re the latest brand of minty-fresh gum.

  This strikes me as one of those “eyes off the ball” moments where Relativity/Rogue forgets that they’re in the movie business.

  And when did low budget horror and action flicks become a “lifestyle property?”

  Comment by Furious D — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 9:02am PDT  Reply to this post

• Everyone is always talking about the Hard Rock Cafe. It is a new concept that has really been gaining heat recently.

  This multi-activation, ultra-synergized, cross-promotional, bi-functional marketing partnership is just the thing to launch Relativity Rogue into the stratosphere, where it can do battle, mace and broadsword in hand, with the Big Media Goliaths that rule Valhalla.

  Comment by Barney — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 9:29am PDT  Reply to this post

• Not just “eyes off the ball”.

  Cups and Balls.

  Have you ever seen that classic magic trick where the magician moves the balls in and out of 3 cups? Penn and Teller does a version with clear cups.

  This is the Hollywood version. Keep moving it around, nothing is generated, it’s the same assets, and people somehow pay you money to see you do it.

  I’m thinking of starting a website that allows for betting pools on ideas or announcements like this one. Let’s see how long it takes before it goes away. Much like the UTA 60 Frames idea.

  Comment by The Descriptionist — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 9:42am PDT  Reply to this post

• “Slapping your name on things are not going to put bums in seats. Nobody goes to a movie because they like studio’s logo, they go because they want to see that particular movie.”

  I don’t know about this. “Up” hasn’t had as much promotion as the typical summer film, yet I’d be shocked if it’s not a massive hit. I think you can “slap your logo” on something if you’ve earned it – if you’ve gained the audience’s trust by consistently putting out a very specific kind of high quality film that they enjoy – original, yet entertaining, concepts they don’t see anywhere else.

  Audiences have demonstrated brand loyalty across all markets, and companies like Pixar, Apple, Starbucks, and Ikea have been able to tap into that sentiment by delivering unique products in a market that’s flooded with copycats. In this industry, it would take a CEO or creative producer with vision to pull off such a venture, and s/he’d probably be a royal pain in the ass while doing it. But there is a precedent: Daryl F. Zanuck. (Of course, he had the umbrella of the Studio System.)

  What concerns me about this specific deal is the Hard Rock aspect. It’s an old brand that’s been at the brink of or near bankruptcy a few times since its inception. It’s a joint for tourists from middle America and eastern Europe – that’s the “tent pole movie and nothing else” audience. They’re not that cool, Kavanaugh, why are you hanging out with them?

  Comment by tammanycall — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 9:50am PDT  Reply to this post

• I was going to add my two cents but I think Furious D nailed it. Content is still King.

  Comment by Matt — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 10:38am PDT  Reply to this post

• Okay this is my favorite story of the month.

  Really?
  The Rogue Joint?

  I’m sorry to be the one to do this Ryan but here’s a lesson on ancillary branding initiatives:
  1. Your brand has to stand for something.
  2. The public has to know your brand.
  3. The initiative has to deliver market value.

  So let’s look at this deal and the situation.
  1. Rogue does not stand for anything market-wise. It used as a horror studio but not now.
  2. No one outside the slasher fan base really knows the company. Rogue is not Disney.(Even Warner Brothers name means nothing to the public for movie going decision making)
  3. This is really a local Promotion in a tourist town with a declining visitor base and revenue at a small to mid-size venue/hotel.

  This looks like an expensive deal where Rogue could have gotten the same exposure in Vegas for the price of 3 billboards around town.

  Clearly this is an excuse for the Rogue guys to party with strippers and co-eds in Vegas on the company dime because this deal ain’t helping selling tickets for their films in Des Moines.

  Comment by ReelBusy — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 12:58pm PDT  Reply to this post

• piece of shit

  Comment by Greg — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 1:51pm PDT  Reply to this post

• as with any deal in Hollywood the devil is in the details.

  my gut tells me this is essentially a small dot and will always be a small dot. The Hard rock only has 650 rooms in Vegas…what kind of marketing reach can relativity gain from this? Hopefully they did not spend too much on this deal.

  Comment by Michael — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 4:22pm PDT  Reply to this post

• yo,

  I think most of you hating on this move way to much. This is a tiny drop in the Relativity ocean that seems to be doing extremely well compared to everyone else in town. I mean call it good timing, but when your a company the size of Relativity and your picking up the tab on a good chunk of Universal’s films (not to mention everyone else’s) then f*** it….It doesn’t seem like much of a problem to do a little pleasure buying…and for sure pleasure buying that could still turn into a success on a couple different levels

  Comment by snoopdodg — Thursday May 7, 2009 @ 5:45pm PDT  Reply to this post

• If Ryan stays at the Hard Rock that’s one less chance for him to get another DUI.

  Comment by kav — Friday May 8, 2009 @ 3:37am PDT  Reply to this post

• The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is undergoing an exponential expansion, to the tune of $750 million (atop the $770MM it cost to buy the place from Peter Morton) and operator/minority owner Morgans Hotel Group is hurting financially. So this deal may have more to do with MHGC trying to score some quick cash by selling naming rights, etc. It’s not as though Rogue has any cachet out here.

  Comment by David McKee — Friday May 8, 2009 @ 12:11pm PDT  Reply to this post