Have Movie, Will Tour, Make Money

DIWO Example:  Box Elder

In the Spring of 2008, Todd Sklar, the filmmaker behind Box Elder decided to pack the bags and take his film on tour.  Having seen the troubles his peer John August had with the theatrical distribution of The Nines, Todd decided to go the self distribution route with his $70,000 production. 

After 100 days and 34 markets, the experience was so successful that Todd created a distribution company, Range Life Entertainment, and plans to tour again in the fall.  And this time there will be more movies along for the ride.

Below are some takeaways from Sklar's blog entry:

• Our entire model was conceived around the concept of using the theatrical release as a tool for the ancillary benefits it can provide: building a fan-base for future projects, acting as a platform and catalyst for DVD and download releases, and providing a ton of press exposure and validation for the film to name a few.
• Our overall goal for the tour was to break even.

The results:

• 9,600 tickets (sales split with theaters)
• 800+ DVDs, despite only having them available at the last 11 screenings
• $32,000 grossed theatrically
• $11,000 profit
• and a new distribution model!