>Lost in Translation has made 26 million to date. Mystic
>River has made 37. Those figures are far from shabby and
>they did have a fair amount of advertising each. These are
>popular films.

because they DID get advertising and they DID get a large audience.

it works.

but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

too often the promotion isn't there. so too often neither is the auidience. but it basically seems that if an independent movie gets good reviews then the studio will cop for a larger ad campaign. but good or bad, action movies get pimped on billboards and during primetime televsion.

>Hollywood is interested in making money

i know they are. and i'm saying that this distracts artistic vision and studios then concentrate on money more than the medium.

>What do you expect them to do? put out an ad in variety
>telling people they have to see the new Altman movie or they
>won't be getting any super heroes next summer?

i'm an idealist now, but i'd simply settle for some balance.

>You can lead a horse to water...

you can lead a movie executive to a good, thoughtful script, but you can make him greenlight it unless a big star or director is attached.