Blinded By The Light

Funding and industry contexts

1) What was the budget for Blinded By The Light and which companies contributed to the production budget?

$15m budget

Bend It Films developed the film with support from Levantine Films and Ingenious Media.

The Ingenious Group is an investment company that invests money in projects that have the potential to deliver future profits.

2) Research the Bend It Networks website. What other films and projects has the company been involved with?

Beecham House - 2019

Viceroy's House- 2017

Bend It Like Beckham - 2002

Desi Rascals - 2015

3) Research Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema on the Warners website here. Summarise the history of New Line Cinema in a short paragraph.

A pioneer in the horror genre, New Line is widely known for the iconic “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Final Destination” and “Blade” franchises. In 2013, New Line released the global blockbuster “The Conjuring” which launched a horror universe that includes the hit films for “Annabelle” and “The Nun.” The seven films have earned more than $2 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time. In September 2017, New Line released “IT,” based on the classic Stephen King horror novel. “IT” was a global sensation and became the most successful horror film in history with more than $700 million at the worldwide box office. The 2019 sequel, “IT Chapter Two,” brought the franchise’s worldwide gross to more than $1 billion.

4) Read this Variety interview with director Gurinder Chadha explaining how the project came about - including budget details. How did she manage to get the film made? 

After Chadha and Manzoor met Springsteen, they proceeded to reach out to Jon Landau and Barbara Carr at his management company, along with executive producer Tracy Nurse, a former SVP International Marketing at Sony Music, where she worked with Bruce for years, enlisting her to become part of the film’s production staff.

“Turned out ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ was one of [Bruce’s wife] Patti Scialfa’s favorite films,” says Chadha. “I think Bruce was touched that we approached his music from a unique cultural point-of-view.”

5) What attracted Gurinder Chadha to the project?

Born in Kenya when the country was a British colony, she grew up part of the Indian/Asian diaspora who made their way from East Africa to London. For that reason, the 59-year-old’s movies has always dealt with the immigrant experience.

Likewise, Chadha is a huge Springsteen fan, who pursued her dream of making a movie about The Boss’ music based on the true-life memoir of co-writer (and fellow diehard) Sarfraz Manzoor.


Production and distribution


Read this Deadline feature on the distribution deal for Blinded By The Light and answer the following questions: 

1) Which company won the distribution rights after the all-night auction and for how much?

New Line and Warner Bros for $15 million

2) Which other companies were rumoured to be bidding for the distribution rights?

Fox Searchlight and Lionsgate

3) According to the article, what was the 'allure' of Blinded By The Light?

The surprisingly universal appeal of Springsteen’s coming-of-age tunes, which tell honest stories about a hardscrabble upbringing, ambition and the fight to break free of all shackles to do something worthwhile with one’s life.

4) What does the article suggest about the significance of Bruce Springsteen's role in the production and promotion of the film?

He authorised the use of his music in the film

5) UK distribution was secured by eOne Entertainment. Visit the eOne About Us page on their website - what do they claim to offer under the heading 'Passion meets possibility?'

eOne enables and creates world class content.

eOne enables every step in the entertainment value chain from development and production to marketing and distribution. With the reach of a studio and the flexibility of an indie, we share bold stories with audiences around the world.

Promotion and reception


1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Blinded By The Light?

Coming of age, Drama, Musical

Audience pleasures: Personal identity - relate to Javed's story or Springsteen's music

Entertainment and Diversion: Springsteen's lyrics can block out the outside world

2) What did film posters for Blinded By The Light feature and where did they appear?

They feature reviews, star ratings, director's name, a billing block and a release date

3) What TV shows and websites did interviews with writer, director and stars of Blinded By The Light? Why are interviews a good way to promote a new film release?

BBC One

HeyUGuys

Interviews can give free publicity if shown on TV

4) How does the Blinded By The Light Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?

It retweets positive reviews

It posts short trailers for the film

Promotes the soundtrack of the film

5) How does the Blinded By The Light Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?

Posters are used to promote the movie and its soundtrack

Videos are used to provide snippets from the film

6) Select three posts from the Blinded By The Light Instagram page and explain how they promote the film.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA32AjMIPC7/?hl=en - Reflects the importance of the film in shining a light on racial issues

https://www.instagram.com/p/B45ZYtVlh0j/?hl=en - The review puts the film in a positive light

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5LVG9plkWf/?hl=en - A still image is used to tease the film


7) Go to the Bend It Networks YouTube channel. How does Gurinder Chadha introduce the channel?  What other content is on the Bend It Networks YouTube channel?

She introduces it as a place for everyone to see the best of what's going on

8) Look at the box office figures for Blinded By The Light from The Numbers website. How much did it make at the box office and why do you think it was largely unsuccessful?

$18.1m

It was largely unsuccessful as it was released too close to a similar film (Yesterday) which was arguably even more popular than Blinded by the Light. Also, it was released everywhere all at once rather than slowly building up hype through small, select screenings.