2023-07-18 18:09:31
Adriana Morel, marketing manager of West Bay, exclusive distributor for Peru of Warner Bros. Pictures (producer of the Barbie movie), details to Día1 how the pre-sale for the premiere is progressing, the actions developed around the Mattel doll, the expectations of the film in Peru, as well as clearing up doubts about its classification and sharing his vision of how the industry is progressing.
LOOK: Barbie: this is how the sale of her dolls and accessories skyrockets in Peru before the premiere of the film
—How do you see the expectation that is being generated in Peru with the upcoming premiere of the Barbie live action movie?
Actually I think that this wave has been growing, as we get closer to the release date it grows even more. There comes a time when it seems like it can’t grow anymore, but it does. The campaign has been very well thought out, the producer and director of the film have a lot to do with it, the mastermind behind everything. Locally, in Peru, we have been generating ‘awareness’ for a few weeks, which has been earned. What we’re aiming for is this sense of urgency to not be left out of the Barbie wave.
—What marketing actions have you been carrying out as a distributor?
In addition to the digital material with the exhibitors (cinemas), the first big action we had in Lima was the life-size Barbie box in Kennedy Park (Miraflores), it was a success. I think it generated such a level of fun, that we constantly saw people queuing up to take photos, of all ages, single men, families, women, children. And then we also replicated this box in five cinemas in Lima and in two shopping centers, Megaplaza and Santa Anita. And an extra one is possible in Plaza San Miguel. We have worked the entire campaign hand in hand with Mattel.
“It has never been seen before, we are even at levels or surpassing superhero movies. From now until Thursday the pre-sale will continue to be active”
—How is the pre-sale of the film moving? How many people do you estimate will go to see Barbie on its opening day?
The presale has gone super well. We started on July 6, but by Friday, mid-afternoon, we had already sold more than 60,000 tickets for the premiere on July 20, a figure that for a film like this is crazy, breaks records and any precedent with A comedy film. And by Monday (yesterday) 97,995 pre-sale tickets had been sold for the premiere. It has never been seen before, we are even at levels or surpassing superhero movies. From now until Thursday the pre-sale will remain active.
—Do you think it could reach or exceed 100,000 tickets sold?
I think so because I think that even people who were not initially so involved in the subject and who could have been in doubt, in the last week have had more interest. The main target of the film has already secured their tickets and now we could think of the other group, which is going to ride the wave, who in these last days also buy their tickets and that will allow us to reach a much larger audience.
—Could this cause exhibitors (cinemas) to open more theaters for the day of the premiere?
I think that they are going to bet on the film, for what they are already telling us about. The programming is not yet closed but there will be around 300 screens that will show the film on the day of the premiere. It is going to occupy an important part of the billboard and I do think it could grow. It’s a bit like what always happens with premieres, Thursday and Friday serve as a thermometer to see how much expectation there is. Having Thursday’s pre-sale with these numbers, it is a fact that theaters trust the film.
—It has caused a bit of surprise and some confusion that the film has a classification for over 13 years, is it a film for a more adolescent and adult audience?
Yes, I understand that it is a bit strange and that it sounds a bit contradictory, but yes, in the United States and in several countries they have put it for people over 13 or 14 years of age, depending on the country. I think that the fact that it is a film that deals with certain themes of life itself, from what has been seen in the ‘trailers’, perhaps it has been felt due to the type of jokes, the humor of the film. You have Barbie who lives in her world of her happiness, pink and perfection, and all of a sudden she starts questioning things like death, which is probably best discussed with an adult on the side.
The age restriction is a suggestion by the exhibitor and, of course, what they tell you is that the child should normally be accompanied by an adult. There are many elements like the comedy, the characters, the dance scenes, which make it entertaining for the whole family.
“Because of the expectation of Barbie, because of the campaign we have had and with the results we are seeing prior to the premiere, we can aim to have between 800,000 and 1 million viewers.”
—So it’s more of a recommendation for them to go with an adult?
Yes, it is totally a movie that can be enjoyed as a family. And, of course, as has happened many times, even with movies like Shrek or Lego, inclusive, which have a lot of humor for adults to have a great time, but that children also enjoy a lot. They are not the same examples but they are quite similar. I think the movie is going to get young people and young adults to be the ones to identify and connect a little bit more.
—Although Barbie is a super well-known and transgenerational brand, will most of the attendees be more children and adolescents or nostalgic ‘millennials’ who have grown up with the brand?
Since we saw the first images in the film, talking mainly with the studio, with Warner Bros. Pictures, we believe that the main audience is going to be ‘millennials’. I think this connection and identification is going to be higher in the over 20, 30 and 40 age groups. Girls so far play with Barbie, but I also think what’s interesting is that for millennials and the previous generation, Barbie represents something that today is different. With Barbie, you could be whoever you wanted to be, in a time when there were probably many restrictions, fewer rights or a profession was frowned upon, but Barbie was already doing it. She was liberating, an icon for these age groups and that’s why I think she’s the main target.
Adriana Morel, marketing manager for West Bay, exclusive distributor of Warner Bros. Pictures, producer of the Barbie movie.
—What is the expectation of attendees who have been with Barbie? What figures show that it is a great success, a blockbuster, in a film like this?
The primary measurement is viewers. There are ranges to know if a movie is successful, of course, but not so defined. It depends a lot on the genre of the film, on various things, but I think that with Barbie the expectation has been growing. And from how the pre-sale numbers are going, everything indicates that it will continue to grow. Word of mouth from the first ‘reviews’ was very positive. We would like to think that we will be between 800,000 and one million viewers, hopefully more. This is a range that for a film of this genre is a lot.
It’s a little hard to compare it to other movies in the same genre because many don’t have pre-sale. The ones that work, and that are usually premieres with fans, are usually from superhero universes or sagas like Star Wars or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Right now, for example, we are above movies like Joker, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, among others.
—Would it be possible to overcome the million barrier?
Passing the million is a big challenge, especially in the post-pandemic. But watching some movies this year, several movies have passed it and they’ve been absolute hits. Movies from ‘Transformers’ that broke records or films like ‘Single, married, widow, divorced’, which passed one million viewers. There are independent films that with 200,000 viewers are already a success because the estimates that were made were based on the amount of investment, among other aspects. Due to the expectation of Barbie, due to the campaign that we have had, with the results that we are seeing prior to the premiere, we can aim for it, to reach between 800,000 and 1 million viewers. And hopefully get over it.
“It feels like we’re reliving [como industria del cine en el Perú]. These films help and show that cinema has a great impact.”
—With the premieres that generate great expectations, such as Barbie and those that will come in this second semester, will the recovery of the film industry be achieved this year in our country?
I think so. The level of films that we have had this year and the response from the public this year is felt. I don’t know if it’s exactly like before, but it feels a lot more like what you experienced in the pre-pandemic. The numbers that films like ‘Mario Bros’, ‘Transformers’ and other Peruvian films have had are figures that we did not see a year ago and less two years ago. It feels like we’re reliving [como industria]. These films help and show that cinema has a great impact.
-How?
In a pandemic or after a pandemic, it was thought that cinema could suddenly die or its impact would be greatly reduced, but this year and these premieres that we are having, including Barbie, show us that it is not. Not only has it not lost its impact, but it is managing to repower and reposition even a brand as powerful as Barbie. The cinema continues to be very relevant, summoning many people willing to pay a ticket to live the complete experience in a movie theater eating their little square.
—Do you think that the full recovery of the film industry could take place this 2023 with the pre-pandemic figures?
Yes, I think it could be 2023. I don’t know if I can say that it will be exactly like before [de la pandemia], but I do think it’s a huge recovery that we’re having this particular year versus the past few years. In 2022 it closed with 29.81 million tickets sold.
—Is it still early to project a full recovery this year?
Yes, we are definitely seeing it and, of course, it is a little early to say so. We have very big premieres in the remainder of the year. We have Warner Bros. Pictures films like ‘Megalodon 2’, whose first one surpassed a million attendees, we also have ‘Wonka’, ‘Aquaman 2’. And that’s just Warner, adding to the other studios, local or independent films, I think this year will end very well and hopefully better than last year.
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