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handled
in exhibition was a problem. They tried to handle it as a big film. In New York they released at the Ziegfeld. Well, that's the flagship of the City. It's also a desert at night because of its location on Fifty-fourth Street. We wanted to put it in a small theater with a great sound system, a theater where the house gross might be smaller, but where word of mouth could have time to generate a larger overall audience.
Koyaanisqatsi
opened at the Fifty-seventh Street Playhouse and had a twelve-week run. In Los Angeles we premiered at the Century City Plaza for two weeks, and then moved it to the Royale, where it stayed for more than five weeksthe overall run in the L.A. area was twenty weeks. After being at the Ziegfeld for, I think, five weeks,
Powaqqatsi
opened at ten New York area theaters. Well, you don't do that with this kind of film. Maybe it was to meet some financial imperative for the video deal, where they had to make so many theater play dates, but it didn't help us. I think Yoram, big person that he is, is going to allow us to rerelease
Powaqqatsi
in a different way.
MacDonald:
Who made the connection with Coppola and Zoetrope [Zoetrope Studios, Francis Ford Coppola's production studio]?
Reggio:
I made the connection through Tom Luddy, who was Director of Creative Affairs at Zoetrope. We had just finished the final mix of
Koyaanisqatsi
. Francis was off to shoot
The Outsiders
[1983] and
Rumble Fish
[1983] in Oklahoma, and he asked if I could do a special screening. So Francis saw the film with his crew at a private screening and stood up afterward and spoke highly about the film. And the next day, Francis offered (gratuitously) to be involved. He was very generous to offer his name to the film. In fact, I think most people see that film and think it's a Coppola film, which works well in terms of the distribution.
MacDonald:
Does he still feel connected to the project?
Reggio:
Francis requested that he somehow be involved with the second film, so he and George Lucas share presentation credits. George also allowed us to use, at cost, the facilities at Sprockets, his post-production facility, for the mix, which was invaluable; and he and Francis will serve as presenters for
Naqoyqatsi
. George is acting as our co-executive producer, helping us put together the package for the new film. If I call someone, that's one thing. If Francis Coppola or George Lucas does, it's quite a different thing, and I'm very fortunate to have their patronage. It was actually Francis Coppola who set up the deal for
Powaqqatsi
with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
MacDonald:
I was involved in the production of a film called
The Journey
[1987], an attempt at a global film. Peter Watkins, the director, was concerned that his earlier films had, to a degree, functioned within the timetable of commercial film and TV, and his goal for this film was to interrupt that expectation, to make the film so long that you'd have to