Southern Adventist University KnowledgeExchange@Southern Faculty Works School of Business Fall 11-2001 Left Behind: The aC se Study Michael E. Cafferky Southern Adventist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/facworks_bus Part of the Business Commons Recommended Citation Cafferky, M. E. (2001). Left Behind: The case study. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business. Fall. pp. 156-194. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Business at KnowledgeExchange@Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of KnowledgeExchange@Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Case Study conversation with a movie which culture and values are marketing consultant. LaLonde passed on. For too long, we in had a few minutes to spare before the Christian community have Left Behind: The Case Study the appointed time for the final pointed out the shortcomings of Michael E. Cafferky marketing strategy session that Hollywood without offering real, Quincy Valley Medical Center was to take place down the hall. viable alternatives. With Cloud The executive of Cloud Ten Ten Pictures we want to change Cafferky offers a closer look at the marketing management process for Pictures sat at his desk thinking that.”2 LaLonde believes that “Left Behind: The Movie.” He also analyzes the movie producer’s faith- about the events of the past three while the Hollywood film studios life integration ideas and the results of the marketing plans. years. When Peter LaLonde and can produce great special effects his brother Paul LaLonde, and explosions, a Christian film Abstract Pictures made and implications of producers for Trinity studio is uniquely positioned to The product in this case this case for faith-life integration; Broadcasting Network’s capture eternal truth in a way that study is the film Left Behind: 3. Results for Cloud Ten syndicated Canadian television the secular studios cannot.3 The Movie—a screenplay about Pictures in their marketing of Left program This Week in Bible Their first project in the new the end-time rapture. It was Behind: The Movie. Prophecy, walked out of their company was a direct-to-video produced by Cloud Ten Pictures television studio for the last time, full-length film titled Apocalypse in partnership with Namesake At a more fundamental level, they were not turning their backs that became a best-seller among Entertainment. The events that this case touches on the tension on Christian media. The two Christian videos, selling more form the basis of this case the Christian feels at the points brothers, co-authors of several than 300,000 copies. After the occurred between 1996 and where the sacred and secular books on the popular LaLondes cut their video March 2001.i This case study connect. It is about living in this “dispensational premillenial” marketing teeth on a $1 million places the teaching-learning world while being a citizen of the or rapture view of the second budget for Apocalypse in 1997, experience in the context of the next world and communicating the coming of Christ, had a new, they produced in 1998 a second marketing management process gospel in terms that contemporary larger vision they wanted to video for $5 million (Revelation) for a consumer entertainment culture can understand while fulfill—launch the first-ever and then a third video, product. The emphasis is on confronting the culture of “this Christian film studio. (Tribulation) costing $9 million.4 distribution management and age.” At a still deeper level, this Like the prophet of ancient Combined, all three videos sold promotion. This case study is case ultimately is about how we times, the company that the more than a million units.5 comprised of three sections: gain access to God, who is both LaLonde brothers created took on For LaLonde, it was the success transcendent and immanent, a the role of telling an apocalyptic of the Tribulation project that 1. Background information God who is eager to use the story designed to bring people to “started the revival in Christian leading up to the point of frailties of human relationships to a decision about their future with filmmaking.”6 strategic decision-making by transmit that which is enduring. God.1 At the press conference, When LaLonde saw the Cloud Ten Pictures; Peter LaLonde explained, success of The Omega Code at 2. Analysis of the case, I. Background Information “Movies are the story-telling the box office in 1999, he knew including a discussion of the Peter LaLonde hung up the medium of our generation. he had a chance at rivaling The strategic decisions that Cloud Ten telephone after a long They are the vehicles through Omega Code’s success. An end- 156 JBIB Fall 2001 Case Study 157 of-the-world thriller starring flowing through their well- Chart 2 Casper Van Dien and Michael greased marketing channel that York, The Omega Code was it is difficult for newcomers to Avg. Cinema-Going Per Capita in the U.S. (visits/yr.) produced by Gener8Xion break in. Those who break in do 1960 1980 1990 1995 1997 Entertainment and financed and so by unconventional means. U.S. 7.5 4.7 4.2 4.7 5.16 promoted by Trinity Broadcasting Theatrical screening of Network. The film was named the movies is a $7 billion dollar Chart 3 No. 1 limited release that year by business annually, not to mention Daily Variety, based on box office the massive video rental segment, Cinema Screens in Canada and the U.S. sales, and it was among the top video sales, and pay-per-view 1960 1970 1980 1990 1996 1997 ten box office draws the week it television. Every year in North Canada 1,278 1,156 1,037 1,713 2,034 2,164 opened on just 304 screens.7 America, thousands of new films U.S. 16,354 14,000 17,590 23,689 29,731 31,640 Its opening weekend, The Omega are produced. Even with more Code grossed $2.4 million than 33,000 theater screens on the Chart 4 dollars. By the time the film had continent, there are not enough been pulled off the screens, it had places for all these new films to Percent of Total Film Expenditures on Feature Films (1996) in the U.S. grossed more than $11.5 million.8 be shown.9 The reason: most Theatrical Video Rentals Video Sales Pay TV If Cloud Ten Pictures had any films do not attract the size of 23.9% 32.4% 19.7% 21.9% hope of producing a product that audience that will bring in box could rival the success of office revenues needed for theater Chart 5 The Omega Code, LaLonde knew owners to survive. he had a steep marketing road to Spending on the Movies in the U.S. (in Millions) 1988 - 1996 climb. He knew that distribution Consumer Movie-Going Behavior 1988 1990 1994 1995 1996 would be one of his most At LaLonde’s request, Theatrical 4,458 5,022 5,396 5,494 5,944 challenging obstacles to success. Cloud Ten’s market research team Video Rentals 6,061 7,551 8,564 8,160 8,078 gathered information from Screen Video Sales 1,469 2,346 3,683 4,384 5,436 The Film Marketing Industry Digest magazine to present at the Pay TV 4,215 4,842 4,586 5,157 5,448 In North America, a handful marketing strategy session.10 of giant film distribution houses The charts they put together for rule the movie marketing world. the strategic planning session lay In addition, the research team lowest box office revenues at the They have so many movies on his desk (see Charts 1-5). gathered box office data from the top. Chart 6 (next page) shows preceding years. They were the ranking of each of the 15 looking for the weekends during lowest box office weekends Chart 1 the year that traditionally had low compared with the average attendance. They took the box (index) for all the weekends of Cinema Admissions in the U.S. & Canada (in Millions) office revenues from the top 15 the year across several years. 1995 1996 1997 films each weekend and then Conducting this analysis, they Canada 87.45 90.12 98.14 ranked the weekends with the found that the 37th weekend of U.S. 1,262.60 1,338.60 1,387.70 158 JBIB Fall 2001 Case Study 159 the year is when theater seats are video marketing, giving them an week to what is new this week. differences needed to be factored most likely empty.11 They had to understanding of the ways of the To be successful in this type of into the marketing plan. The only consider other factors, too, such marketplace. This they factored fast-paced market, the marketing problem was that there is little as their own production into their approach to theatrical managers of entertainment data to rely on when determining capabilities, what films had film marketing. Marketing a products need to move faster than the consumer behaviors associated already been scheduled for consumer entertainment product the public. Months and weeks with attendance at religious release by the Hollywood film like a book or movie is a never- before the release date of a new apocalyptic thriller movies. studios, and the month of the year ending problem that requires entertainment product, the To understand who might be that video sales present the most attention to the quality of the marketing management team is interested in this type of movie, attractive opportunity.