Big news on our William Shatner Doc!
Last year Legion M’s feature-length documentary William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill premiered to great fanfare at the SXSW film festival. It was well received and is currently 100% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Since then, the film has been on tour, with appearances at prestigious film festivals around the world. Now it’s finally ready for a nationwide theatrical release on Friday March 22nd -- which also happens to be William Shatner’s 93rd birthday!
After consulting with investors in the doc, Legion M is handling this theatrical release ourselves. This is an exciting step for us -- we’ve been involved with over a dozen movie releases in our short history, but this will be the FIRST one that Legion M completely controls. We’ve put together an experienced team of theater bookers and film-marking specialists to make the most of the opportunity. We want our investors -- including those who invested in the film as well as those who invested in Legion M – to be as proud as can be!
Our goal over the next few months will be to generate as much noise as possible about this movie. The business of theatrical releases is complicated, but it boils down to a two-stage sale.
First, you need to sell movie theater owners/managers on why they should book your film. Theaters have limited screens and lots of movies fighting to be shown on them. Each week, theater managers around the country decide which films will get screens…and which don’t. Marketing, buzz, presales, and PR are all things Legion M can influence as we try to convince theater managers around the country to book our film.
Once you’ve booked a theater, you are only halfway done! Now you’ve got to fill the seats. Marketing, PR and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth are keys to ensuring people know about the release. And while it’s harder than ever to get folks out to see a movie in a theater – especially a documentary – we’re focusing on ways we can harness the power of fans – fans of William Shatner, fans of great documentaries, fans of independent film, and fans of Legion M – to make this release as successful as possible.
There’s a lot more information to come about this release and all the events we’re planning leading up to it. Please keep your eye on your inbox for updates and SAVE THE DATE TO JOIN US OPENING WEEKEND OF MARCH 22ND!
Onward and upward!