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Smart Money’s On Family by Gary Strauss (USA Today)
Posted by Ed and Lois
Uncle Nino, a little movie about moral values, is finally getting its due.
Principal filming on the movie about a long-lost relative who reunites a troubled family wrapped in 2002. But Uncle Nino, which stars Joe Mantegna and Anne Archer, languished after distributors passed on the $3 million film made outside the studio system, dismissing it as too limited in appeal and marketability.
Nino bounced back onto the industry’s radar after test-market screenings in Grand Rapids, Mich., produced enough word-of-mouth praise to extend an initial two-week run in December 2003 to 56 weeks. Nino has since gained a distributor and is scheduled to roll into major markets in February.
Hollywood, whose concept of family entertainment has evolved from tearjerkers such as National Velvet to costly adventure films such as National Treasure, is taking notice
To some, the timing smacks of knee-jerk Hollywood response to the cultural divide illustrated in red and blue states. To others, the movies are efforts to cash in on the Christian-infused success of The Passion of the Christ. But studios say they’re not pandering to conservatives; they’re simply responding to market forces. And in a nation still squeamish over wardrobe malfunctions and violence, studios are willing to bet that quiet, wholesome entertainment films like Nino will attract multi-generational audiences, especially preteens and the 40-plus crowd, the industry’s fastest-growing demographic.
Full Post:http://www.usatoday.com/life/2004-12-27-pop-main_x.htm