Services for journalists

London, 25 September 2009

FDA LAUNCHES AUTUMN LINE-UP IN UK CINEMAS
40 million+ cinema visits anticipated across 140 new releases, October-December

Film Distributors' Association (FDA) today launches a campaign to encourage more cinema visits this autumn, seeking to capitalise on the increased momentum in cinemagoing in 2009 to date.

Three 20-second spots have been produced. Each will play for three months in rotation immediately before the BBFC certificate that precedes the feature film, as an integral element of the release print.

To the end of August, UK box-office receipts were running 9% ahead of January-August 2008. This year's surge has been most evident during school holidays when parties of families and friends have flocked to the cinema:

The first in the series, featuring Martin Freeman, will start to appear exclusively on UK cinema screens from Friday 7 August.

Martin Freeman said: "I think people are becoming more and more aware that film theft isn't a victimless crime. It robs people working in the industry of the investment needed to make new films that we can all enjoy. Happily the UK public loves the cinema experience, and I'm delighted to have this chance to celebrate that and to thank them for their support."

The top 3 films of 2009 to date are: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Slumdog Millionaire, which between them have attracted a combined total of 22 million cinema visits, equivalent to more than one-third of the UK population.

The line-up for the new autumn season, which runs October-December, is conditioned not only by the specific array of films ready for release, but also by the seasonal calendar, including:

• Students returning to college - an opportunity to release films for that audience segment;



• Schools' half-term - a slot for mainstream family fare and often one of the busiest cinemagoing weeks of the year;



• Halloween - an occasion for horror films of all varieties;



• The build-up to Christmas - a time for comedies, fantasy and adventure films, sometimes with a festive flavour; and



• A cluster of major international film festivals, including at Toronto and London, at which some of the following year's awards contenders are launched.

Highlights of autumn 2009, during which approximately 140 films will be released in UK cinemas, include:

• A diverse selection of new British films including: Bright Star, An Education, Bunny and the Bull, Sherlock Holmes, St. Trinian's 2, The Descent Part 2, Glorious 39 and Nowhere Boy; and



• Further advances in digital 3D to enhance the visual impact of stories on screen including: James Cameron's Avatar, Robert Zemeckis's A Christmas Carol and the latest Disney/Pixar release, Up.

FDA's autumn campaign to promote cinemagoing - the largest seasonal campaign it has ever undertaken - includes:

• A one-minute compilation trailer of autumn highlights to play in cinemas and online. It features members of the public saying what they most love about the cinema;



• A new website, autumncinema.com, giving more information on the season's line-up and showcasing a competition to win a year's free cinemagoing in 2010;



• Dedicated autumn cinema channels on YouTube and Twitter to attract feedback and stimulate discussion;



• Targeted distribution of 1 million 20-page preview magazines covering the October-December line-up to family households in cinema catchment areas; and


10-minute podcasts discussing the forthcoming line-up to be issued each month throughout the season and offered online.

FDA President, Lord Puttnam CBE, said: "As the most immersive form of storytelling, the cinema provides a uniquely memorable, social and affordable out-of-home experience. This autumn there's a pulse-quickening mix of films from all over the world to entertain and amaze every one of us, whatever our tastes. I hope audiences, attracted by the new campaign for UK cinema, will be tempted into one or two extra visits between now and Christmas."

Media enquiries to FDA 22 Golden Square, London W1F 9JW

Carrie Thatcher
Tel: 020 7437 4383 Email: cthatcher@fda.uk.net

Wendy Kidd
Tel: 07970 861 489 Email: wendykidd@hotmail.com

To view the trailer, use the following link click here

To place or embed the summer trailer, free, please contact:
andy.gibbons@moviebeat.co.uk Tel 07912 467 009 or
nick.adams@moviebeat.co.uk

Media content available now

• Autumn 2009 compilation trailer, runs 75 seconds including credits (contacts above).



• FDA briefing card on the autumn cinema season.



• Advance copy of FDA's Focus 20-page magazine covering October-December releases (to be published w/c 5 October).



• NB: Film images, specific trailers and related materials are available from individual distributor sources as per usual arrangements.

Notes to editors

• FDA, the trade body for UK theatrical film distributors, has 22 member companies whose releases account for 96% of cinemagoing. A comprehensive UK release schedule, updated weekly, is available at FDA's website, www.launchingfilms.com



• Focus, a generic magazine previewing the coming season's cinema releases, has been published quarterly by FDA since 2007. With 20 pages, sized A5, each issue is printed on paper produced from sustainable managed forests accredited by the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification.



• The 33 films incorporated in the autumn 2009 compilation trailer are: Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, Avatar, Bright Star, Bunny and the Bull, Bustin' Down the Door, Case 39, A Christmas Carol, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Couple's Retreat, The Descent Part 2, An Education, Fame, Fantastic Mr Fox, 44 Inch Chest, Henri-Georges' Clouzot's Inferno, The Informant, The Invention of Lying, It's Complicated, Jennifer's Body, Love Happens, Nativity, 9, Nine, Planet 51, The Red Shoes, Sherlock Holmes, The Stepfather, 2012, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Unmade Beds, Up, Where the Wild Things Are and Zombieland.



• A subtitled version of the trailer has been produced to assist cinemagoers with hearing impairments. It is playing online including at www.yourlocalcinema.com.