Communicating "Melchior the Apothecary" Films

Summary

Over the 31 years since Estonia regained independence, over a thousand films have been produced here, but only 11 have surpassed the 100,000 viewer mark. Among them is “Melchior the Apothecary”. In 2022, Melchior the Apothecary saga attracted the most people to Estonian cinemas, with over 215,000 movie tickets sold.
“Melchior the Apothecary” was shown in 14 countries, including major markets like the USA, Japan, Germany, and Indonesia.
The communication for Melchior the Apothecary films was visible throughout the year, starting from traditional media and digital platforms to Melchior-themed old town tours, film-themed exhibitions, and influencer marketing.
We differentiated ourselves by utilizing techniques and channels not previously applied in film communication.

Generate maximum interest in Melchior the Apothecary films.
Achieve visibility in all channels relevant to the target audiences.
Ensure that the majority of the Estonian population has heard of Melchior the Apothecary films.
Stand out by creating an Melchior the Apothecary world using unconventional methods and channels.
Sell at least 80,000, ideally 100,000 tickets per film.
Introduce Melchior the Apothecary and Estonian cinema to international markets.

COVID-19 restrictions changed people’s movie-watching habits – cinema audience numbers have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The goal was to achieve ~100,000 viewers per film, a feat achieved by only a small portion of Estonian films since the pandemic began.
Estonian film communications have been conducted at a highly professional level and have won awards – to gain attention, we needed to find new creative and distinctive solutions.
Competition on a small market – one of the film’s financiers is also a media house owner – it was crucial to avoid a situation where other media groups saw the film as a competitor’s venture. The film's target audience is broad, and our goal was to cover all media channels. This required extensive personalized collaboration with all channels.

All Estonians – from teenagers to seniors, from history teachers to film critics.
Both Estonian and Russian speakers.
Specifically targeted young people for whom Estonian films are not the first choice in the era of streaming platforms, yet they are important as cultural carriers.
History teachers, for whom Melchior the Apothecary is a great opportunity to introduce students to the medieval period.
English-speaking tourists, for whom the world of Melchior the Apothecary could be one way to explore Tallinn’s history and old town.
Partners, journalists, and the general public.
International film distributors, festival organizers, and streaming platforms.

Collaboration with various media channels to create exclusive content, from the first day of shooting in summer 2020 to film premieres and supporting cinema distribution in 2022.
Continuous organization of special events, such as Melchior the Apothecary's old town tours, historical lectures, media days on film sets, podcasts, premieres in different cities, a costume exhibition in Narva, a photo exhibition at Kiek in de Kök and Vao Tower Castle, and pre- and post-communication for all activities.
Ensured broad visibility in digital channels, including an Instagram Melchior filter, constant communication on social media, and collaboration with influencers.
A public program aimed at school students and history teachers, as well as tourists visiting Estonia, in cooperation with the Tallinn City Museum.
English-language communication in various markets, aiming to find an international distributor, cooperate with streaming platforms, and generate interest among international festival organizers.
Integrated marketing communication – the campaign was based on PR communication supported by an advertising campaign in paid media channels.

To gain attention, we continuously sought techniques and channels that had not been used in film communication before, such as:

Melchior the Apothecary’s old town tours
Collaboration with Rae Pharmacy
Exhibitions in Tallinn at Kiek in de Kök, Narva, and Vao Tower Castle
Distinct influencer marketing - hosts in background roles
An Instagram filter tried by Marko Reikop live on the TV show "Ringvaade"
City Museum’s public program (youth competitions, lectures, etc.), which won the Museum Rat prize
Film-themed postage stamp
The President and Mayor at the premiere

PR activities reached nearly 70 million contacts in unpaid media.
Organic social media reach of 580,000 contacts, supplemented by hundreds of user-created posts and a paid reach of 360,000 contacts.
Additional contacts on city streets, at events, in cinemas, museums, on tours, in classrooms, etc. – thousands of people participated in special events.
Over 215,000 people in Estonia bought a ticket to see Melchior the Apothecary in 2022.
“Melchior the Apothecary” was the most-watched Estonian film of 2022, with the first film attracting 129,000 viewers and the second 86,000.
(The trilogy’s third film premiered in April 2023)

Success in other markets:

Premieres in 14 countries, at 16 film festivals
International distribution continues in cooperation with the film distributor Global Screen, with contracts signed with the largest streaming platforms in Germany and the Czech Republic, and the trilogy dubbed into German and Latvian.

Amazon is producing a series based on Melchior the Apothecary films for German-speaking markets.
Melchior the Apothecary serves as an introduction to Tallinn’s old town and Estonian history for some tourists.
The film reached Elisa and Telia streaming platforms in 2023 and has already gathered over 100,000 views there.