On ‘Sith’s’ coattails

Where’s Hollywood’s most coveted real estate? It’s not a Malibu beachfront compound or a ski-in, ski-out Telluride chalet. The hottest frontage this week is in the trailer bank preceding “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,� the film every studio is banking on to energize a listless box-office year.

All the major studios are jockeying for the opportunity to use George Lucas’ final intergalactic prequel to tout their coming attractions -- including the dystopian thriller “The Island� and Steven Spielberg’s invasion drama, “War of the Worlds.� In an effort to improve their chances, some are even slashing trailers into 60-second previews and lobbying exhibitors, who have the ultimate say in trailer placement.

But securing even a brief plug is proving to be tough: Several distributors say Lucas has forbidden theater owners from running more than five trailers before his movie. Some chains also try to cap the number of trailers shown, but others will sometimes show as many as eight trailers, especially if they are shorter than the standard 2 1/2 -minute preview.

“Revenge of the Sith� is expected to debut in more than 3,700 theater locations when it opens Thursday, with an estimated 9,000 individual film prints, making it one of the widest releases ever. The first two prequels each grossed more than $100 million in their four- and five-day debut weekends.

Studios and exhibitors consider trailers crucial to drumming up business for future releases, an important goal with box-office revenues down 7% from a year ago.

“It’s one of our best marketing tools, especially when you can program them in front of so many moviegoers,� said Dick Westerling, a spokesman for Regal Cinemas, the nation’s largest chain with 6,273 screens.

Moreover, those ticket buyers will include legions of young boys, the driving force of many summer blockbusters. And once in their multiplex seats, these teens are a captive audience.

“Of course, I want to be on it,� said New Line Cinema marketing chief Russell Schwartz, who’s trying to get his big summer release, “Wedding Crashers,� on the trailer playlist.

Only one studio, 20th Century Fox, has guaranteed trailer positioning because it is distributing the movie. The studio chose to attach a “Fantastic Four� trailer to the “Revenge of the Sith� print, but it is also submitting a preview of its other big summer release, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.�

The film can appears to be getting pretty crowded, though. As is industry practice, several studios will also be including their trailers in the “Revenge of the Sith� shipment to exhibitors.

According to one studio, the delivery will include no fewer than seven other trailers contending for placement. Bruce Snyder, Fox’s president of distribution, said he knows of only three: Walt Disney Studios’ “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,� Paramount’s “War of the Worlds� and Sony’s “Stealth.�

Others in the mix, according to another studio: New Line’s “Wedding Crashers,� DreamWorks’ “The Island,� Universal’s “Cinderella Man� and Warner Bros.’ “Batman Begins.� And some studios are also sending trailers for other films directly to exhibitors in hopes of screening with “Revenge of the Sith.� Sony, for example, is distributing a new “teaser� trailer for “The Da Vinci Code,� even though the movie doesn’t come out for a year.

But for those movies hoping to ride in the film’s wake, the five-trailer rule, which was implemented on at least one previous “Star Wars� prequel, could leave any number of previews on the projection booth floor.

Several distributors said the rule emanates from Lucas. A spokeswoman for Lucas referred phone calls to 20th Century Fox, Lucas’ longtime distributor, which contends that the trailer cap is voluntary and was created to avoid a logjam of promotional spots cluttering the “Revenge of the Sith� screenings. The studio also says the rule comes from Fox, not Lucas. “It’s my request to exhibitors,� said Fox’s Snyder. “It’s not an edict; it’s a request.�

But one person familiar with the agreement between Lucas and Fox disputes that characterization and said theaters can be penalized for violating the cap. One such exhibitor, John Logan, chief executive of Logan Luxury Theatre Corp. in South Dakota, confirmed that those who violate the order risk losing their copy of the film. “No one’s ever pushed� Lucasfilm to contest the cap, he said. And if a theater chain did? “I think you’d get the phone call. In the contract, it says they could pull your contract and feasibly pull your print.�

For the exhibitors, deciding which trailers to project is more art than science. Furthermore, the studios are certain to call and plead for their own coming attractions, sometimes offering financial incentives.

“We try to put trailers with movies that are going to have the same appeal, the same demographics,� said Peter Dobson, chief executive of Mann Theatres. “In addition to that, we get recommendations from the studios. It’s a very delicate balance.�