Magnolia Pictures har distribuert en lang rekke skandinaviske filmer på det amerikanske markedet. Selskapet har hatt ansvaret for USA-lanseringen av Oscar-nominerte En kongelig affære, og har også kjøpt salgsrettighetene til Lars von Triers Nymphomaniac og de to norske filmene Pionér og Gåten Ragnarok.
Til Nordisk film og tv-fond forteller Eamonn Bowles, presidenten i selskapet, om hvordan de lanserer skandinaviske filmer på kino, dvd og VOD. Han kan vise til svært gode resultater for von Triers forrige film, Melancholia, på alle platformer, mens de norske filmene Hodejegerne og Trolljegeren også har oppnådd respektable salgstall.
Bowles forteller at VOD er blitt et veiskille for selskapet.
“Five years ago the independent distribution model was broken, highlighted by the fact that in one two week period, four major independent distributors closed their doors and more followed in the subsequent months. It had become an arena where breaking-even was a victory. With the VOD equation, which has almost no cost attached to it and reaches more customers than the widest theatrical release, we were able to bring in a large tentpole of revenue almost for free. This enabled us to take chances on films that would otherwise be too risky to take on in a traditional release. We’ve also been able to significantly reduce our P&A costs because of the extra exposure from the cable operators marketing our film on their VOD platforms. In tandem with the increased efficiency from online and viral marketing, our costs have dropped quite a bit”
