Give me a break: Delay of "Shutter Island" release because Paramount lacked funds to promote it?

[Mike 03]

If this is true, then the economy is worse than I ever imagined.

I'm not saying this is untrue, but I find it highly unlikely that Paramount Studios delayed the release of Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND from October of last year until February of this year because it "didn't have enough money to promote it" (source radio station KNX-1070 AM, no link yet).

Does that make sense?

For one thing, it is well known that Scorsese was reshooting as recently as last summer, months and months after the film's original "wrap."

Secondly, and I cannot substantiate this, there were disagreements about the film's ending.

This post is coming from somebody who believes Scorsese is our greatest living filmmaker, so don't misconstrue this as some attack against the director or this movie, which I have been waiting to see for months--I still can't wait.

I just don't like to be lied to. But maybe I'm not--and if I'm not, then maybe we are in store for a second financial meltdown. Also, if Paramount is telling the truth, I will stand corrected.

Not enough funds to promote SHUTTER ISLAND, a new movie by Martin Scorsese and starring DiCaprio, set to be released during Oscar season, delayed and dumped in February, one of the worst months ever to release a quality film?

What is going on?

[Lint Head]

1. Each movie stands on it's own financially. The budget is a 'for delivery'

contract. There may have been an over budget issue but I doubt it has anything to do with the economy over all.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. For one thing, IMO, the studio doesn't know HOW to promote it.

Every ad I've seen makes it look like a ghost story, a horror film, but (having not yet seen it, though I work in a theater P/T) it looks to me like it is more a thriller. It's gotten good reviews around here, and NONE of them are calling it any kind of spook flick. So what's with the misleading advertising campaign?

I expect it was delayed because of re-shoots and a long time spent editing. Why it got dumped in Feb. is beyond me, unless that was the only place where it wouldn't conflict with the summer blockbuster releases coming up. One thing is for sure, February releases are completely forgotten by the time the awards come around.

(Planning to see it on Wednesday.)

[flyarm]

3. yes it makes sense.the movie industry is in the shitter..go read Variety

this week..( Feb 15-21) ..top agents are telling dems back off on asking for fund raising dollars..many in the industry ( non actor jobs) are out of work with no work on the horrizon..LA is more like in a depression than in a recession. Heck..I was just there ( I used to live there for 13 years..now my son lives there with his family)..I could not believe how many store fronts I saw On Rodeo Drive and Beverly blvd in Bev Hills were shuttered with available signs on the front..I have never ever seen it so bad!
So many of my son's friends are out of work..many with some kind of connection to the Movie industry, or financing of the movie industry. Things do not look good under that Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills........

[harkadog]

4. I saw it Friday. Terrible film. Way too long and a stupid ending.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Turns out Dicaprio's really an inmate, not a detective.

I haven't seen it. But that's how it turns out anyway. If it doesn't, I'll eat my hat.

[Ikonoklast]

6. They produced a clunker, and they knew it.

Couldn't fix it, so it got dumped in February.

And they weren't going to spend a dime to promote it....good money after bad.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

7. If you've seen it, you'd know why. It's an embarrassment. I think the world of Scorcese but

WTF was he thinking with this awful movie? It's like a spoof without the laughs.

[freeplessinseattle]

8. less "dumb money" out there

read something awhile back about even A listers salary offerings being reduced due to less funding from wealthy nobodies who just want to have some connection to Hollywood. Go to the premiere, impress friends, etc. I suppose.

I had no idea about this before, but apparently it is a common source of funding, and this article mentioned stockbrokers as being frequent funders. So with the financial crash it makes sense that there is a lot less $ floating around, and since films often seem to go over budget I could see it happening even to a legend.

[Beaverhausen]

9. Studios change release dates all the time for various reasons

more likely they were trying to figure out how to promote it, not how to pay for the promotion.

Some studios are doing better than others right now. I work at Warners and we are doing OK.