Filmscope Entertainment (Filmscope) is pleased to announce that its film NEEDLE has now generated a theatrical gross in Turkey of $135,000 USD in 10 days, selling 22384 tickets and staying in the top 6 for another week, behind Harry Potter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Smurfs, Transformers and Larry Crowne.
“What makes this result even more impressive is that the average price of a cinemas ticket in Turkey is only $6. Accordingly a number of overseas distributors are now looking at theatrical releases in their territories too” states Deidre Kitcher.
“The continuing success of Needle overseas, now sold in over 65 countries, proves that our strategy is exactly right. If you make a film that has broad international appeal then you have a far greater chance of recouping the cost and going into profit, than if you make a film that maybe only plays in its homeland.
The movie only needs to be a hit in one country and you’re halfway there” says the film’s director, John V. Soto, “I’m pretty sure we’re one of the few Aussie horror films to actually have a theatrical release outside their home territory in the past five years, which is quite exciting” he added.
In Australia the film has performed modestly with its limited 6 screen release, grossing approx $18,000 to date, although its opening weekend screen average was higher than a number of similar genre films including Triangle, The Reef and Road Train.
“We knew that releasing a horror film against a plethora of strong US titles in Australia was going to be tough, so we made sure our marketing spend was appropriate. It was a conscious decision not to go any wider than 6 screens because, as has been demonstrated time and time again, Australians generally prefer to watch their horror movies at home. The release did provide us with important exit poll feedback for our Australia-wide DVD release later this year through Sony” states Deidre Kitcher.
In addition Filmscope would also like to announce the appointment of film and TV industry veteran, Harry Bardwell, to the board of Directors of its parent company, Starglow Corporation Pty Ltd (Starglow).
“Harry has a wealth of experience and contacts, having been involved with over 400 Australian productions. As former Director of Production and Development at ScreenWest Harry has also assisted with the production of a number of quality WA films including the funding of Red Dog, Wasted on the Young, Blame, Mad Bastards and most recently, Drift. Harry is a valuable addition to our team and his experience will help guide our company’s future expansion plans” says Deidre Kitcher.
“I am delighted to be able to work with Filmscope and Starglow on their exciting plans to build their film business further” says Harry Bardwell.
Needle has received many positive reviews from Australian critics with Andrew Urban calling it “an engaging and well executed supernatural thriller,” Simon Foster (SBS) said that “the film delivers in spades all the prerequisites that fans demand,” and Travis Johnson from Xpress Magazine said "The film has no shame in its modest ambitions, and it fulfils its remit with admirable panache. Soto is an excellent visual stylist and he clearly knows a thing or two about pacing and suspense."
Overseas critics have also praised the film with Killerfilm giving Needle a score of 4 out of 5, with genre specialist Alex Scott Webster saying “…Needle is an above-average slasher with a refreshingly original plot device.”
Needle is the first West Australian film to win a “Golden Skull” award at Screamfest (2010) Los Angeles along with a slew of awards at the British Horror Film Festival which included Best Cinematography, Best Special Effects and Best Supporting Actress.
Filmed in Perth, Needle features the cream of Australian acting talent including Jessica Marais (Packed to the Rafters), Michael Dorman (Daybreakers, Triangle), Trilby Glover (Righteous Kill), Tahyna Tozzi (Wolverine), Travis Fimmel (The Beast, The Valley), Ben Mendolsohn (Animal Kingdom), Khan Chittenden (West), John Jarratt (Wolf Creek) and Jane Badler (V TV series).
Needle, a horror film, is about a killer who uses an 18th century machine with supernatural powers to terrorize students at a local college.