METALLICA Filmmakers Explain Movie's Limited Release

Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the filmmakers behind the much-anticipated $4.3-million METALLICA documentary "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster" have posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"Dear friends,

"As you've probably heard, our new movie 'Metallica: Some Kind of Monster' is opening in theatres this summer. You may have checked out some of the opening dates and cities on the website, and you might be wondering why your town isn't on the list yet. Here's why:

"This isn't a Hollywood blockbuster, so there's no big studio backing the movie and opening it on thousands of screens like most films you'll see this summer. In most countries (including the U.S.),the film is being released in what is called a 'platform release.' This means that it opens slowly, one or two cities at a time. If a lot of people go to see it in those first few cities AS SOON AS IT OPENS, it will open in other places. If people don't show up on opening weekend in each and every city, the theatres will be forced to pull it off the screen by the Hollywood studios that want that screen for 'Spiderman 2' or one of the other major movies they're releasing.

" 'Some Kind of Monster' is the underdog movie of the summer. We don't have the clout of the big studios who can open their movies everywhere and keep them running for weeks even if no one's showing up. A lot of people in the movie business think that we're out of our minds to be releasing 'Some Kind of Monster' in theatres to a wide audience, simply because it's about METALLICA. We think those people are wrong. We're proud of this movie and we want as many people as possible to see it on the big screen. If you've seen it at a festival or an advance screening, then you already know that the mind-blowing Dolby 5.1 surround sound mix alone is worth the price of admission. While the DVD will be cool, it won't be out for almost a year, and this movie is really meant to be seen in theatres.

"We hope that as part of the METALLICA family, you've already heard good things about 'Some Kind of Monster' and are psyched to see it. But it's important to know that you probably won't get to see it unless you go on the opening weekend that it opens in your city or town. The opening weekends in New York and San Francisco (July 9th) and Los Angeles are crucial to the film's survival. If everyone waits a few weeks thinking it will still be around, the movie will be dead in the water, and it will not play in all of the other places we want to bring it to.

"So bring your friends, and tell them to bring their friends. Bring your families, your neighbors, your co-workers, and your enemies. Call a bunch of Met Club folks and go see it together. And if you don't live in one of the places where it's playing, call or write to anyone you know who does, and tell them to go see it.

"We want to prove that everyone who says, 'No one wants to see a movie about METALLICA,' is WRONG. Judging from the Met fans we've encountered over the years, we know that we couldn't ask for a more dedicated, energetic and diverse group of people to join us in this mission. If we didn't think this film was worth the fight, we wouldn't waste your time. But we believe in 'Some Kind of Monster'. We've dedicated over three years of our lives to it, and we hope we can count on each of you to make this monster live.

"Sincerely,

"Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky

"P.S. Since 'Some Kind of Monster' is such an underdog, it's not playing at a lot of huge multiplex cinemas. Instead, it's playing mostly at independently-run theatres. The owners of these theatres are taking a risk on this movie because they care about it and believe in it as much as we do. So if you go to the movies and you don't see an ad for 'Some Kind of Monster' at your usual theatre, check out www.somekindofmonster.com to find out where it's playing."