Crispin Makes Movies
Pens Flick for BK,
Will Film in Fall
Marc Graser and TJ
Stanley
AdAge.com
Published:
July 10, 2006
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com)
-- Now that they've
conquered nearly every
other media fiefdom,
Burger King and
Crispin Porter &
Bogusky plan to invade
Hollywood.
Crispin creatives have
written a BK-oriented
movie, plan to start
shooting this fall and
are shopping it to
20th Century Fox and
Universal Pictures,
Advertising Age
has learned. The
Miami-based agency is
looking for a
financial and
distribution partner,
according to
executives familiar
with recent meetings,
and while specifics
haven't been ironed
out,
Crispin would be an
investor in the film
and would take a cut
of the box office if
it reaches certain
levels.
The arrangement is
unusual in an industry
where the client
customarily owns the
content its agency
creates and is
generally the only one
to profit from it. But
Crispin has been
blazing new ground
when it comes to
compensation. It's
received minority
equity stakes in
Haggar Clothing Co.
and consumer products
marketer Method in
exchange for its
creative work.
And it's sharing in
the profits from some
products created out
of its association
with Burger King, from
an upcoming Dr. Angus
diet book -- for which
it has just secured a
publisher -- and Xbox
game line to vinyl
figurines of the
Subservient Chicken
character.
As for the upcoming
movie, Crispin
executives have said
they want to create a
modestly budgeted
(under $10 million)
character-driven story
that takes place in an
apartment above a
Burger King
restaurant.
So far, there's no
director, nor a
completed script,
which is being
overseen personally by
agency honcho Alex
Bogusky and is
expected by fall. No
casting has taken
place, though it's
anticipated that the
movie would feature
emerging talent rather
than big-name stars.
Aside from the
setting, the
ubiquitous and
controversial Burger
King mascot would have
no real role in the
movie, said executives
who have attended the
meetings. Universal
executives declined to
comment, and Fox
executives did not
return calls. A
Crispin spokeswoman
and Burger King
declined to comment.
Crispin executives
have used several film
reference points to
describe the movie
they want to make.
Among them are "Garden
State," "Napoleon
Dynamite," "Raising
Victor Vargas" and
"What's Eating Gilbert
Grape?" They
intentionally did not
go the sophomoric
goofball comedy route,
a la "Harold and Kumar
Go to White Castle" or
"American Pie."
Ancillary revenue
If it's on the mark,
the agency stands to
bring in some serious
money. Cult-favorite
"Napoleon Dynamite"
cost only $400,000 to
make and pulled in
$44.5 million
domestically,
according to Box
Office Mojo. "Garden
State" reeled in $26.7
million domestically
on a $2.5 million
budget.
And then there's the
ancillary revenue:
"Garden State" spawned
a successful
soundtrack and
"Napoleon" a full line
of licensed
merchandise, including
lip balm, that sold
briskly at teen
retailer Hot Topic.
Both films have been
strong DVD performers.
A number of brands
already have tested
the executive-producer
waters, including
Mountain Dew with the
snowboarding
documentary "First
Descent" and Chrysler
with "Cry Wolf," a
product of the
Chrysler Million
Dollar Film Festival.
Both projects were
modestly budgeted and
moderately successful
at the box office,
though marketers have
said they were pleased
with the forays into
brand-financed
content. But in those
cases production
companies worked with
the marketers, and
agencies aren't
believed to have been
involved.
The chain's parent,
Burger King Holdings,
will release its
fourth quarter and
fiscal-year-end
results on Aug. 1 and
host its first
earnings call as a
publicly traded
company. Analysts are
optimistic about the
chain's growth
potential since the
No. 2 brand has the
lowest average annual
store volumes ($1.1
million) compared with
segment leader
McDonald's ($1.9
million) and No. 3
Wendy's ($1.4
million.)
Traffic figures
haven't quite caught
up to the pricing
gains that have led to
eight quarters of
positive same-store
sales, but franchisees
are pleased so far.
Based on their own
results, several
franchisees expect the
company to report
same-store sales gains
in the low-single
digits. After years of
strife and skepticism
among franchisees,
most have come around
to give management the
benefit of the doubt
-- at least as long as
sales continue to hold
up.
Franchisees contacted
about the film weren't
aware of the plan but
liked the idea. While
in Chicago this week,
Al Cabrera, chairman
of Heartland Food
Corp, owner-operator
of 249 Burger King
restaurants, said his
children gleefully
pointed to a White
Castle after
recognizing it from
the "Harold and Kumar"
movie. "I think it's a
great idea," he said.
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