SINGAPORE - Did the Oscar nomination announcements of March 15 have an effect on cinema attendance?
According to industry experts, it might be too soon to see a sales uptick.
But every scrap of help matters, they say. The publicity of March 15 will add to the drumbeats presaging the Oscars ceremony, which will be held on the morning of April 26 Singapore time.
A spokesman for Golden Village Multiplex, Singapore's largest cinema chain, says that it is difficult to quantify any so-called Oscar bump as some films are newer in the market than others.
"But we are encouraged by the buzz and hope that it will continue up to the ceremony," says the spokesman.
The chain is screening the Asian-American immigrant drama Minari (six Oscar nominations), the drama about the American working poor Nomadland (six Oscar nominations) and revenge thriller Promising Young Woman (five Oscar nominations).
"Any nominations or wins always give films a huge boost in terms of awareness and publicity. While such a push doesn't always guarantee bigger box office, it definitely gives films, especially the independent films, more visibility among the big-budget titles at the cinemas," she adds.
It was a sentiment echoed by a spokesman for Shaw Theatres, which operates nine cinemas. Nominations and wins put a spotlight on films that would otherwise never get the kind of attention that major releases enjoy, she says.
One such movie is The Father, distributed by Shaw Organisation and up for six Oscars, she adds. Anthony Hopkins plays a man whose deteriorating mind alarms his daughter, played by Olivia Colman. The film opens in cinemas on April 15.
A spokesman for Cathay Cineplexes, which operates eight cinemas, adds that it has been a "lacklustre" year for films because Hollywood releases have been shelved because of the pandemic.
But crowds will be back once the Covid-19 issue is behind us, she says.
Ms Flora Goh is managing director of United International Pictures Singapore, the distributor behind Promising Young Woman. Sneak previews of the film began from the Chinese New Year period to take advantage of overseas acclaim before its general release here on March 18, just after its five Oscar nominations were announced.
"It has enjoyed a good run so far riding on the excellent word-of-mouth from the early screenings," she says.
Like previous UIP release 1917, which went on to earn a respectable $1.7 million here despite it being a prestige period drama, Promising Young Woman will likely overcome its niche appeal thanks to word of mouth and Oscar chatter.
Ms Goh adds: "We expect the box office success of the film to continue as it heads towards the Academy Awards on 26 April."
Film-maker K. Rajagopal, 56, says: "Audiences tend to be more enthusiastic and are inclined to watch films with more accolades and recognition, it is only human nature."
The director of the drama A Yellow Bird (2016), available on Netflix, notes the release of the film in cinemas here was timed with an eye to awards season.
"We released it only after it had been screened in the International Critics' Week section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, in order to ride on the publicity," he says.
