The Distribution Plan

Distributors are assigned to find the target audience for each film. They need a detailed understanding of the target audience which are usually seperated into demographics e.g. age, sex, lifestyle subset, occupation etc. The distributor constantly keeps the target audience in mind whilst also trying to establish a wide spread interest around the film. When thinking about the audience the distributor has to take into account the classification of the film as it could affect the ways in which it's advertised. The distributor has the responsibility of conducting market research in order to help predict audience reactions and financial prospects.

They have to take into account may different aspects which could contribute to the success or failure of the movie. Competition is the main risk, as they have to consider when to release the film depending on what else is being released around the same time. They have to look for gaps in the market so they when/where would be best to release the film. The more mainstream the film then the more likely it would be to release the film worldwide. Whereas if the film had a niche audience the locations in which it would be screened would be limited.

The distributor is given a budget, or in the case of UK film they would draw up their own distribution plan. The success/failure of the film are reassessed by commercial performance every week.