Opening Weekend: An Insider's Look at Marketing Hollywood's Hits and Flops

by Jim Fredrick

In a world where movie marketers are the stars of the story, Opening An Insider's Look at Marketing Hollywood's Hits and Flops recounts Jim Fredrick’s journey through the realm of movie marketing. Fredrick offers readers exclusive access to behind-the-scenes anecdotes and firsthand accounts of working with studio executives and navigating relationships with famous movie stars and directors.

After starting his career in 1983 as a trailer editor and producer at famed advertising boutique Intralink, Jim Fredrick went on to serve as president of marketing at Castle Rock Entertainment; senior vice president of creative advertising at Warner Bros.; and executive vice president of marketing at Sony Screen Gems. In 2011, he founded his own company, Jim Fredrick Motion Picture Marketing.

Across a span of thirty-five years, Fredrick’s roles as a trailer maker and studio executive allowed him to craft advertising campaigns for a range of movies, from such iconic cinematic gems as The Shawshank Redemption to the widely beloved Harry Potter franchise, to commercial failures like The Adventures of Pluto Nash and Fired Up! Opening Weekend explores the intricacies of the lesser-known business of film distribution and marketing, unraveling the complex mechanisms through which movies are sold to discriminating audiences. Replete with triumphs, setbacks, and the relentless spirit that drives the creation and promotion of cinematic masterpieces, Opening Weekend promises an enthralling glimpse into the previously untold world of Hollywood movies.

Genres: Film

382 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2024

Reviews

[A Cesspool · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts-out extraordinary memoir of Hollywood feature film-trailers editor, promptly slumping into studio marketing executive's unremarkable autobiography.

Most fantastic facet of Opening Weekend was this unearthed Fall 2020 blind item, regarding the same Screen Gems' feature and studio boss, the author worked on/for:
While inquiring into Political donor/Businessman ED BUCK's storied background/drug den/homicidal-shenanigans, investigators supposedly uncovered the thread to showbiz publicist, RONNI CHASEN's Nov. 2010 premeditated "botched robbery"...

Sometime within the last couple of weeks of her life, Ronni Chasen allegedly confronted [Screen Gems' President & Burlesque (2010)-figurehead] CLINT CULPEPPER with allegations of disturbing behavior, sourced from her longtime client: Michael Douglas (Chasen repped both Douglas & Burlesque).
PREVIOUSLY...While attending Michael Douglas/Zeta-Jones' 2010 Halloween party, Douglas allegedly overheard guests: Clint Culpepper & Ed Buck negotiating after-party logistics, deciding if they should pickup someone [at the Halloween party], or leave now and score another skid row runaway (' ...that no one will ever miss...again')? Regardless of what was said, it was shocking enough to freak Douglas the-Fck-out.
Two days later the movie star took his concerns to Chasen... (supposedly with an ultimatum, along the lines of: '...it's him or me, you can't rep us both'[?]; or, warning: '...they're a PR Crisis-time bomb...'). Whatever Douglas said was enough for Chasen to contact Culpepper, relaying her their concerns (of a potential media disaster; if he and Buck were ever exposed ...like, years later, in 2017, albeit, sans Culpepper).

Culpepper allegedly told Buck this, who, in turn, retained the services of one of his frequent male prostitutes/drug den partners/will-work-4-meth sharpshooter-transients. Buck allegedly transported their shooter out to the designated spot [somewhere between Chasen's Westwood residence and LA's Chinese Theatre, for Burlesque's premier; Since Chasen was still contractually obligated to attend].

While at the premier, Culpepper supposedly kept an eye on Chasen (or maybe he was carless enough to task one of his lackeys with the chore?), and called Buck once he could confirm Chasen had departed and was en route. They could have triangulated Chasen's route via the single/most streamlined thoroughfare where she might be easily picked off -- it's only a miracle they hadn't concerned themselves with residential cameras, albeit, only more fantastic Beverly Hills PD wouldn't canvas the crime scene for recording devices, i.e. going door-to-door, inquiring into [each] residential [outdoor] security system. Srsly, Jussie Smollett was a criminal mastermind compared to these maniacs; Whereas Chicago PD actively resolved to charge to Smollett, BHPD couldn't even bother to dust Chasen's passenger-side door for fingerprints!

None of this is mentioned in Fredrick's text, insomuch, his megalomaniac boss, Culpepper, was a terror to work for; And that Fredrick was fired off their Burlesque-project when Culpepper presumed Fredrick was too straight to open [like Chicago (2002)] for them ...or who knows why? The author doesn't say....
Probably my biggest gripe with the memoir is the over-amount of introspection, yet, lackin specs; particularly whenever it has to do with the author's undoing (or regret).
Anyone who says they 'don't know why' they were fired is only admitting: They'd rather not talk about it. Throughout the history of Capitalism, nobody has ever been dismissed without cause; And no one has ever walked away from a career-gig without looking back -- wanting to know why they'd been shown the door.
And You Know This.
Regardless of potential civil litigation, it's in the chemistry of our reptilian-brains to instinctively cross-references one's performance against the terms of their employment-eviction! so there.

Nevertheless, this was the only reason I came across aforementioned 2020 blind item, since the terms of the author's [presumably] shoddy performance at Screen Gems and resulting downfall, are redacted.

re: sauce

- - - - - - -
Otherwise, if you were ever interested in the marketing & distribution of Castle Rock Entertainment's filmography (as well as others before and after the author's CRE employment), then this book is for you! Some of the features commemorated in Fredrick's movie-selling auto-bio:

The Color Purple (1985)
Spaceballs
The Milagro Beanfield War
Ironweed
The Two Jakes
The Last Temptation of Christ

The Princess Bride (1987) @CRE
When Harry met Sally
Misery
City Slickers
Honeymoon in Vegas
Mr. Saturday Night
Absolute Power
The Bucket List (2007)
The Shawshank Redemption
Before Sunrise
The Last Days of Disco
Waiting for Guffman
American President
Striptease
The Spitfire Grill

Soldier (1998) @Warner Bros.
Jack Frost
Analyze This
Analyze That
Wild Wild West
Eyes Wide Shut
Deep Blue Sea
Iron Giant
Three Kings
The Green Mile
The Perfect Storm
Harry Potter 1 -5
Pluto Nash
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2
Million Dollar Baby
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Tim Burton Mike Johnson's Corpse Bride
Happy Feet
300

Fired Up! (2009) @Screen Gems
Obsessed aka Beyoncé's Fatal Attraction
Dear John
Easy A
Burlesque (2010)

[Jillian Martins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books of the year! It contained an exemplary combination of detail, humor and charm, this is one of the better freshman attempts I’ve read. The author REALLY gives you a feel for the industry through the decades that he worked at different levels and for different companies. He’s really gracious, but also quite candid about his interactions with people from the regular co-workers, to titans in the industry, to the uber famous actors (and there are plenty!). It includes TONS of funny little stories and asides about huge projects, giving a great deal of color to round out the picture of the movie industry that he paints so beautifully. I love it when authors read their own books, particularly when they are autobiographical and Jim’s narration in the audio book is top notch. If you have any question about whether or not to give this title a try, just take a look at the dust jacket recommendations and you’ll see what an amazing story and storyteller you are in for.

[Will Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An at-times insightful look into an often overlooked aspect of the movie industry, Opening Weekend charts trailer editor/movie marketer Jim Fredrick's Forrest Gump-esque odyssey through the business from the indies of Whit Stillman to the franchise behemoth that is Harry Potter and so much more. Oftentimes, I found that the lesser-remembered movies and the pen portraits of his fellow professionals were the most compelling, such as how The Perfect Storm pushed Fredrick to the brink and Burlesque showed the writing on the wall.

That said, there is a Kubrick-ian passage that is unputdownable, and Fredrick charts the course of his career with humour, pathos and sage professional advice in equal measure. While Opening Weekend isn't the best Hollywood book I've ever read, it is one of the most unvarnished as well as being eminently readable.

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first point I would make is that this book is part biography.
It is quite interesting to see what goes into a.modern marketing campaign.I much prefer the old days when trailers were full of superlatives and optical wipes.
I was in the cinema yesterday.There were 4 trailers and I wasn't sure what they were about.I am sure I won't be going to see them.
Despite my disinterest in Harry Potter i found this to be an interesting and little covered subject.