Best Buy and Universal Pictures will give away up to $15 million in tickets to the March 30 weekend’s nationwide theatrical release of Sobini Films’ Peaceful Warrior. The innovative offer was announced today by Adam Fogelson, president of marketing, Universal Pictures, and Jill Hamburger, vice president of entertainment, Best Buy.
Tickets for the first weekend’s showings of the inspirational film adaptation of Dan Millman’s perennial best-selling novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, will be given away through a dedicated web portal, BestBuy.com/PeacefulWarrior/. From March 18 through April 1, customers who visit Best Buy locations across the United States will receive information on the giveaway, and visitors to BestBuy.com will be directed to BestBuy.com/PeacefulWarrior/, where they will be able to obtain up to 10 free tickets. Information for the ticket giveaway will also be available in Best Buy stores and through Best Buy’s Reward Zone program.
“We wanted to find a way to give this film — and films like it — a real chance to compete in this marketplace,” stated Fogelson. “This movie’s inspiring and positive message connects powerfully with people, but it simply isn’t possible to reduce or market it efficiently or economically in the customary ways. We wanted to allow consumers a chance to sample the film and opted to redirect money from a traditional marketing campaign and instead purchase and provide tickets to moviegoers directly. We marshaled the various disciplines at Universal Pictures, found an enthusiastic partner in Best Buy and secured support from exhibition chains willing to experiment with us.”
“We are excited to take part in this innovative effort,” said Hamburger. “At Best Buy, we understand the passion our customers have for movies, and we are also strong supporters of the artists and the creative spirit behind the motion picture industry. By providing free tickets to ‘Peaceful Warrior,’ we are serving both of these goals and helping expose our customers to a movie that may otherwise not get the attention it deserves.”
“We are beyond thrilled that audiences will be given a chance to experience a film that remains a passion project for everyone involved,” said Sobini Films’ Mark Amin and Cami Winikoff, producers of Peaceful Warrior. “Universal and Best Buy are trying something completely innovative, and we are so grateful for their dedication to give our film the chance to reach an audience that was otherwise not possible.”
Sobini Films’ Peaceful Warrior will have a wide national release on March 30, 2007, in association with Universal Pictures and Lionsgate. The film is based on the inspirational best-seller “Way of the Peaceful Warrior.” The novel and the film chronicle the semi-autobiographical story of author Dan Millman’s life-altering relationship with an unlikely mentor whose teachings about spirit over strength profoundly affected not only Millman but also untold readers in the two and a half decades since the book was first published.
The film had a limited release in 2006 through Lionsgate, after which producers Mark Amin and Cami Winikoff brokered a deal between Universal and Lionsgate for this unique second-chance opportunity with Universal’s Adam Fogelson, with whom they share a longstanding professional relationship.
