The new-age movie Peaceful Warrior may have died at the box office last year, but its producers hope it still has some fight left in it. The film, which starred Nick Nolte in an adaptation of a best-selling inspirational novel, is being re-released in theaters on March 30, distributor Universal Pictures said on Tuesday. And admission will be free. (Popcorn not included.) In what is believed to be an industry first, the film's producers, Mark Amin and Cami Winikoff, have bought $15 million worth of tickets, and will give them away to customers of Best Buy Co. Inc., which is stepping up its involvement in the entertainment business. The electronics retailer is sponsoring the North American leg of the upcoming reunion world tour by rock trio the Police.
Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, hopes that the 2.5 million to 3 million people who see the movie for free will tell their friends about it, and that those friends will pay to see it--and that both camps will eventually snap up the DVD. The film originally was released last summer by independent studio Lionsgate. Despite strong scores in test screenings, the movie proved hard to market and was given a limited run in art-house theaters. Budgeted at about $14 million, it sold $1.2 million worth of tickets, Universal said. Critics mostly savaged the movie. Lionsgate declined comment. Universal became involved late last year during an informal chat between the studio's marketing president, Adam Fogelson, and producers Amin and Winikoff. According to Fogelson, Lionsgate was considering reissuing the movie, and the producers wanted his input on the best way to market it. Fogelson pitched them an idea he had long mused about--a word-of-mouth campaign based on letting people "sample" the film for free. "Most films will still be best served by some version of a traditional marketing campaign," Fogelson said in an interview. "Some films will not ever reduce well into 30-second TV spots, 15-second TV spots, trailers and posters. What is special or exciting or fun or meaningful about them will not be reduced. "We've got to come up with a different way of doing it. This is a way to have those kinds of films have a real meaningful shot at landing in the marketplace and succeeding." Fogelson said there was no financial risk to Universal, whose main expense is the manpower involved in marketing and distributing the film. It will share in any profits from the theatrical and ancillary releases. Peaceful Warrior is based on Dan Millman's book Way of the Peaceful Warrior. It was directed by Victor Salva, best known for the Jeepers Creepers slasher movies. Nolte plays a grizzled gas-station owner who dispenses nuggets of advice to a cocky young gymnast, played by Scott Mechlowicz.