Focus Chief Peter Kujawski on How Arthouse Audiences Are Changing: ‘People Want Something Off-Kilter’
07.05.2024 - 17:11
/ variety.com
Brent Lang Executive Editor When Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features, saw “The Holdovers” at a screening held for potential distributors at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, he knew the movie had all the makings of an arthouse hit. There was an Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alexander Payne, behind the camera, as well as a beloved character actor, Paul Giamatti, playing a meaty role that complemented his sardonic gifts. Add in a heart-warming coming-of-age story, and the film had the potential to be an awards season player.
But what he didn’t realize was that it was hilarious. At least not until he saw it in a theater with regular moviegoers. “There were big belly laughs,” he says.
“It changed my whole perception. I thought the movie was great and sweet, but I didn’t know it was hilarious.” There’s something about experiencing something like “The Holdovers” in a packed room that changes a movie’s metabolism, Kujawski argues. And it can’t be replicated watching it on your TV at home.
“You just need that collective, communal experience,” he says. “It gives a film a greater cultural hold.” That experience left Kujawski convinced that despite the challenges posed by COVID shutdowns and the streaming revolution, cinemas are here to stay and more vital than ever to the success of movies. Focus is committed to releasing roughly a dozen movies in theaters a year — an impressive number at a time when most indie labels are trimming their output.
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