Back in August, FishbowlLA noted that movie studios were planning to cut back on the amount of advertising money they dumped on the newspaper business. Why? Two reasons: one, newspaper demographics are slowly diverging from the younger (and spendier) audience which studios seek; and two, the studios are still reeling (no pun intended) from this summer’s box-office slump. (Well, it’s more complicated than that, but never mind.)
Anyway, the New York Times has found a way to (at least partially) combat the drop-off by starting its own little mini-magazine called “OnMovies,” which will be distributed along with tickets purchased at various Loews Cineplex theaters in several markets, including (of course) New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and right here in Washington, D.C.
Each issue will include feature articles on new movies, excerpts from Times’ film reviews, comments from stars and filmmakers, notable DVD releases, and a brief story on a current documentary.
It’s the sort of project that’s probably better suited for the nationally-distributed Times than the Post, which remains at heart a local paper. Still, the concept is similar to Express’s Weekend Pass section, right down to the 50-50 editorial/advertising split, and it’s a clever way to keep the brand in view. I don’t know how ultimately useful it’ll be (or how many advertisers will pick it up), but I’m looking forward to at least checking it out. The launch date is December 16th — in other words, coming this Christmas to a theater near you.
none