"Better Luck Tomorrow" roundup...

A letter from Justin Lin, the director of BLT:

Dear Friends-

Thank you for your incredible support this past weekend. I got the wake up call of a lifetime Sunday morning from the heads of MTV Films and Paramount. Not only was "Better Luck Tomorrow" the highest grossing film per screen in the country, but we also set records for both the studio and MTV Films. And my phone did not stop ringing there. Executives from other studios also called, and one thing's for certain, everyone is baffled. They can't figure out how a small independent film with barely any advertising muscle could out-perform the big movies. Of course, we already know the answer: word of mouth.

This history-making success is a testament to all of you that came out, bought a ticket, and told your friends to go see it. Now, the audience is telling the studios what kind of film they want to see - something completely unheard of in Hollywood. We are setting a new precedent. Fans showed up in such big numbers that theaters actually cancelled screenings of "Anger Management" in order to add additional showings of BLT. And in cities where BLT isn't showing, fans have been calling their local theatre managers and demanding that the theatres bring it to their towns.

But we still have a long road ahead. If there's any downside to our triumphant opening weekend, it's that we might be seen as a fluke. BLT is opening in ten additional cities on Friday, April 18th. If we can sustain the same momentum of last weekend, I've been assured that "Better Luck Tomorrow" will go to a nationwide release on April 25th! Not only would this be historic for Asian American cinema, but it would finally put us on a level playing field with the average Hollywood film. I found out that approximately 60% of the audiences last weekend were Asian Americans. If this trend continues, we will at last be able to carve out a piece of the pie on the studio marketing chart, thereby signaling the way for more films with real, human portrayals of Asian Americans. We?re on the verge of something truly groundbreaking, so let?s not turn back now. If you haven't seen the film yet, now is the time. If you saw it last weekend (thank you!), bring a friend and watch it again. Remember, your movie ticket is your vote.

Please look at the new cities listed below and if you have friends or family there, let them know about the film and tell them to visit the website or read the reviews.

Once again, thank you for all your support.

Justin

Links to interesting reviews:

• SF Gate
  
• Seattle Times
  
• Spirtuality & Health

If you haven't seen the movie yet, GO. Regardless of your reservations, it deserves at least one viewing... trust me, it'll make you think and add wrinkles to your gray matter. More news can also be found at AngryAsianMan.com.
posted by G at 12:43 PM   |

in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33