page_title: The Lovely Bones (film)
section_title: Strategy
hierarchical_section_title: The Lovely Bones (film) / Release / Strategy
caption_attribution_description: English: Peter Jackson promoting the 2009 film District 9 at San Diego Comic-Con.
context_page_description: The Lovely Bones is a 2009 supernatural thriller drama film directed by Peter Jackson, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, and Saoirse Ronan. The screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson was based on Alice Sebold’s award-winning and bestselling 2002 novel of the same name. It follows a girl who is murdered and watches over her family from "the in-between", and is torn between seeking vengeance on her killer and allowing her family to heal.
  An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, the film was produced by Carolynne Cunningham, Walsh, Jackson, and Aimee Peyronnet, with Steven Spielberg, Tessa Ross, Ken Kamins, and James Wilson as executive producers. Principal photography began in October 2007 in New Zealand and Pennsylvania. The film's score was composed by Brian Eno.
  The Lovely Bones was first released on December 26, 2009 in New Zealand, and then internationally in January 2010. The film's North American release date was changed multiple times, with a limited release on December 11, 2009, and a wider release on January 15, 2010.
context_section_description: The Lovely Bones was originally scheduled for release on March 13, 2009, but it was delayed to December 11, 2009, as the studio became interested in releasing the film for "awards season," which gave Jackson an opportunity to make some effects shots larger in scope. The film then received a limited theater release on December 11, 2009, in the United States. The film was originally set to have a wider United States theater release on December 25, 2009 (Christmas Day), as part of a campaign to build its momentum into January 2010. In early December it was confirmed that the United States release date had been pushed back by three weeks to January 15, 2010. Paramount and DreamWorks did not give a reason for the change of the release date. The film premiered in New Zealand on December 26, 2009, and was released in the United Kingdom on January 29 and in other countries in January 2010.
  According to the Los Angeles Times, Paramount invested $70 million in production and an additional $85 million in worldwide marketing and distribution. In December 2009, the Los Angeles Times described the marketing and promotion of The Lovely Bones as having been a "heavy advertising campaign." In late July 2009, as part of the promotion, Jackson talked about the film and screened a 4​¹⁄₂ minute clip at the San Diego Comic-Con International film festival.
  As part of marketing for the film, in August 2009, people were allowed to enter a contest to win a trip to Wellington, for the film's New Zealand premiere on December 14, 2009. The offer included, if the winner lived outside of Wellington, one night's accommodation and a voucher for flight or petrol to Wellington. A teaser trailer was released in August 2009, days before the film's official trailer. The official trailer debuted on the television series Entertainment Tonight and was released online shortly afterwards. In August 2009, Jackson offered a "behind-the-scenes look" at the film and discussed elements (mainly violence) in the film's plot line.
  The Los Angeles Times reported that Paramount had originally expected the film to appeal to a "sophisticated, adult audience," but after poor revenue and average reviews, the studio decided to redirect the film to an audience in another age group. Surveys showed that the film was favored more by females aged 13–20 than by any other demographic. Paramount began to screen the movie "aggressively for high school- and college-age girls" during its three-screen limited release.
caption: Jackson at 2009 Comic-Con film festival. At the festival Jackson discussed The Lovely Bones and screened a clip from it.
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