What is First Weekend Club?

Did you know that in 2010, so few people went to see Canadian films that only 3.4% of the total national box office went to Canadian films (83% went to US films and 8% went to other foreign films).

Through Q&A's with filmmakers and actors, contests, premiere parties, advance screenings, film alerts, and much more, First Weekend Club encourages members to attend opening weekend screenings in order to keep Canadian films in theatres longer. Hence the name, "First Weekend Club" And the best thing is that membership to the club is absolutely free!

Currently, First Weekend Club has branches in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Victoria, Ottawa, Halifax, Montreal, and continues to expand into other cities across the country.

Great Canadian Film—It’s out there!? ?When a film is released, we send an email to our members letting them know when and where they can see it. Since the first weekend is what can make or break a film, we encourage our members to fill as many seats as possible during the crucial first weekend.

How Does it Work?

There are some truly great Canadian films out there. First Weekend Club's mission is to tell you about them.

Whenever a film is released, we send out an email to our members letting them know when and where they can see it. Since the first weekend is what can make or break a film, we encourage our members to put as many bums as possible in those seats during the crucial first weekend - their own, and also their friends' (word-of-mouth can be a powerful tool!).

What's more, First Weekend Club strives to extend the cinematic experience beyond just the film by bringing in filmmakers and talent for special Q& As, hosting premiere parties, and all sorts of other fun activities.

Why the 'First Weekend' is so Important

Canadian cinema faces a unique challenge due to competition from across the border, where mere marketing budgets generally rival the entire production budgets of their Canadian counterparts. ??The bottom line counts. Theatre owners will extend a film's release only if the first weekend box office is strong. No matter how great a film may be it will get kicked out of the theatre if people don't show up to see it within those first three critical days.

If You Tell Two Friends…and so on

We want you to help us make Canadian film a "household name". It's easy, too. If you like a film that we send you to, spread the word! To make it easy for you we've added a "tell a friend" function on our email campaigns so - *poof* – the word gets out.

Not All Films Are Created Equal

Our selection committee scours film festivals and watches as many films as they can before making their recommendations to the wise sages that make up First Weekend Club's board of directors. The board then votes on the films that First Weekend Club will support. Our board of directors consists of film veterans who know the "biz" inside and out. To find out more about our team and board of directors, click here.??*Please note that while we post information on our website about many Canadian films, we will only create email campaigns for and organize special events around those we are actively promoting.

Beyond the First Weekend...

First Weekend Club has several exciting initiatives that are revolutionizing how we engage with film in Canada:

CANADA SCREENS

Canada Screens is a monthly screening & Talkback series within an intimate and social environment, fusing cinema, film lovers, and filmmakers to create an unforgettable evening. Guests mingle with a glass of wine, view great films, enjoy live entertainment such as music or dance and get truly up-close & personal with filmmakers and talent via special TalkBacks. Canada Screens currently runs in Vancouver and is set to expend to other cities across Canada.

FIRST WEEKEND FLIX

First Weekend Club is bringing Canadian film online through our new streaming service which will make quality Canadian feature films available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. We aim to transform the Canadian cinema landscape by launching a video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform, which will feature a curated library of the very best Canadian films available. First Weekend Flix is scheduled to launch March 1st, 2012.