Produced-
The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company
Marketed-
The Blair Witch Project is thought to be the first widely released film marketed primarily on the Internet. A sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was released in the autumn of 2000, but was poorly received by most critics. A third installment announced that same year did not materialize.
Exhibited-
$248,639,099
Distributed-
The distribution strategy for The Blair Witch Project was created and implemented by Artisan studio executive Steven Rothenberg. The movie was positively received by critics and went on to gross over US$248 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent films of all time. The DVD was released in December 1999 and presented only in full screen.
Paranormal Activity:
Produced-
First-time director Oren Peli had been afraid of ghosts his entire life, even fearing the comedy film Ghostbusters, but intended to channel that fear into something positive and productive. Peli took a year to prepare his own house for shooting, going so far as to repaint the walls, add furniture, put in a carpet, and build a stairwell. In this time, he also did extensive research into paranormal phenomena and demonology, stating, "We wanted to be as truthful as we could be." The reason for making the supernatural entity in the story a demon was a result of the research pointing to the most malevolent and violent entities being "demons". The phenomena in the film take place largely at night—the vulnerability of being asleep, Peli reasoned, taps into a human being's most primal fear, stating, "If something is lurking in your home there's not much you can do about it.
Distributed-
Distributed by Paramount Pictures & DreamWorks Pictures
Marketed -
Paramount/DreamWorks acquired the U.S. rights for $350,000. It is one of the most profitable movies ever made, based on return on investment, although such figures are difficult to verify independently as this is likely to exclude marketing costs.
