Opening Weekend: EP-6: "The Iron Giant" – Allison Abbate (Producer)

Some movies are loved by the people who make them and by the people who sell them, and they're still tough to open. Jim Fredrick, who ran the marketing on The Iron Giant at Warner Bros., sits down with producer Allison Abbate to talk about how the film was made, why it opened to just $5.7 million, and how it became one of the most beloved animated films ever.

Takeaways

• Half the money, halfway through. The film started with an $80 million budget. After Quest for Camelot flopped, the studio cut it to $40 million, and by then a big chunk of the original money had already been spent.
• A poster drawn by the filmmakers. Brad Bird and his animators made the key art themselves, which is almost unheard of. The only real argument at the studio was how small to draw Hogarth.
• Lay the track early. Allison believes the film needed a teaser and buzz a year ahead of release. An August date against Tarzan didn't give audiences time to find it.
• Don't be a feathered fish. Jim shares Alan Horn's advice on picking one message, and explains why the film's heart was the hardest thing to get into the trailer.
• The long road to classic. The film swept the Annies and won a BAFTA, a year before animation even had an Oscar category.

Pull Quotes

"I always say I got more hugs from Iron Giant than box office dollars." – Allison Abbate

"If the studio doesn't treat it like it's a jewel in the crown, the people are not gonna think that it is." – Allison Abbate

"I sometimes worry that that poster hurt us because it didn't look like a movie poster." – Allison Abbate

"Iron Giant is my animated version of Shawshank Redemption." – Jim Fredrick

Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by the Golden Trailer Awards (goldentrailer.com) and Atlas Talent Agency (atlastalent.com).

Follow Opening Weekend: Selling Hollywood with Jim Fredrick on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.