We've had several questions lately regarding American Harmony and the status of screenings. Below is a detailed description from one of the producers, Allan Webb, that is sure to answer most of the lingering questions out there.
For those that have already registered - thanks for your participation in helping spread barbershop harmony around your community!
We have several bits of news for you in this status update:
First, here are the recent cities which have been put on the schedule:
Houston, TX: August 21st - 27th at the Angelika Theater (please check with theater for showtimes: 713-225-1470)
Normal, IL: August 4th - 5th at the Normal Theater (7pm both nights; call theater for more information: 309-454-9722)
Tulsa, OK: October 16th - 22nd at the Circle Cinema (check with theater for showtimes: 918-585-3456)
Second, we have set up a website (http://store.oculefilms.com/order-screening-tickets) to pre-sell tickets to see American Harmony in the markets we have booked or are currently working on. This will be getting updated rapidly as we reach more markets. Here is some more information about the program:
What cities can I pre-buy tickets for?
Currently we have 5 cities listed (Detroit, Houston, Sarasota, Asheville, and Atlanta) and more will be added on a regular basis going forward.
How does it work?
When you get to the website you will see several cities listed where American Harmony will be showing in a theater soon. Simply click on the "Buy Tickets Now" button and you will be led through a series of steps.
Some of the cities already have venues and/or dates booked and confirmed, while others only have desired locations listed. For the cities that DON'T have confirmed dates, your credit card WILL NOT be charged until we have officially booked the location and date.
What is the goal of the pre-sell program?
1. To demonstrate to the local theater/venue owners that there is a strong demand for the film.
2. To determine which type of venue (i.e. size, cost) and length of run is best suited for each market.
3. To guarantee local marketing efforts are properly motivated and directed where there is a lot of early support.
4. To get people excited about the film in your community, and to allow barbershoppers and barbershop fans to show their early support.
So, please go to our pre-sale website (http://store.oculefilms.com/order-screening-tickets) and start supporting the film in your market.
This is especially important for the Houston area since the film's opening there is only 3 weeks away and our level of success in that market will help guide our future strategy.
Go out and spread the word amongst all barbershop fans (and soon-to-be fans) and together we'll continue to show people across North America what barbershopping is all about!
Third, here are a few cities we hope to officially book shortly (we'll send out an update when they are):
Detroit
Chicago
Seattle
San Francisco
Atlanta
Dallas / Ft. Worth
Albuquerque
Los Angeles / Orange County
And don't worry if your city isn't shown above, there will be many more cities than those listed in the coming weeks. Our distribution team is working overtime to compete with the major studio releases and secure some screens.
We are actively working on around 25 markets and anticipate getting as many as 50 on the schedule by the time we wind down the theatrical release in late November. We intend to release the DVD around that time in order to have it out prior to the holiday season.
Given the above are going to pare down the pin map linked on the official web site to reflect the markets which we anticipate getting to. That should take place sometime this week:
http://www.tinyurl.com/americanharmonymap
Fourth, American Harmony has recently been added to NetFlix! This doesn't mean that film is currently available for rent, but those of you who have NetFlix accounts can help make sure that it will be after the DVD release if you follow these simple steps:
1. Log in to your NetFlix account at http://www.netflix.com
2. Once you find our film, give it a 5-Star rating
3. Last, and most important, click on the "SAVE" button to add the film to your saved film queue
Saving the film to your queues will give the Netflix people an good indication of what kind of demand there is out there for our film and obviously the more people that "SAVE" the film to their queue the more likely they are to strike a deal with us. Also, giving the film a 5-Star rating will help convince other people who have never been exposed to Barbershop music to rent the DVD once it's available.
Fifth, it'd be great if everyone could go to our Rotten Tomatoes page (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1213237) and give American Harmony a strong rating. Lots of people use this website to help them determine if they'll go see a movie in the theaters or not so a bunch of strong audience ratings can only help.
Thanks again. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and will make a big difference in helping the film become a big success.
Allan Webb