Business Submission Guide

The web interface provides a very easy to use and convenient interface to the IMDb additions system. Please click the button labelled "Update" near the bottom of every IMDb name/title page to access that interface. This page describes how to update business information directly via e-mail; it also provides an explanation for the formats generated by the web updates system.

We recommend all contributors use the web based update system and avoid the complexities of the direct email interface described below.

SUBMISSION RULES

All additions should be sent to <adds@imdb.com>

You must mark the start of the data with the word:

      BUSINESS

The list compiler has the right to choose which information to use. Information from a number of sources may be combined to provide a single entry. And please remember that any copyrighted material is *excluded* from the database. Only include publicly available information.

FORMAT

MV: Movie Title (Year)

The original title of the movie, followed by the year of release.

BT: Movie Budget [Country]

Cost of production of the movie, optionally followed by the name of the country (for currency identification purposes). If Country is omitted, the amount is in US dollars.

GR: Box Office Gross (Territory) [Date]

How much did the movie make at the box office. The figures must be followed by the country. "Non-Usa" means that the amount is the sum of all box office receipts from outside the USA. "Worldwide" means that the b.o. figures are the total of all revenues from all over the world, including the USA.
All box office figures without a date are final (i.e. that's the total b.o. gross at the time the film was pulled out of release). An optional date indicates when the box office figures were last updated and is generally used for films still in general release. All figures are _not_ adjusted for inflation or variations in movie ticket prices and are rough estimates, not definitive data.

OW: Opening Weekend Box Office Take (Territory) [Date] [Screens]

How much the movie took at the box office in its first weekend of release, followed by the country of release and optionally by the weekend date and number of theatres the movie opened in. Opening weekend takes are often a reliable indicator of a film's future commercial performance.

RT: Rentals

Rentals are the money that goes back to the film distributor after its worldwide theatrical release and are therefore the best indicator of a movie's real commercial performance and strength.

AD: Admissions (Territory)

The number of tickets were actually sold at the box office in a specific country.

PD: Production Dates (Start-End)

When filming took place. Use full date format and separate the production start and end dates with a hyphen.

ST: Studio where movie was filmed (Country)

Studio facility where parts or all of the movie was shot, followed by the country. If filming took place in more than one studio, use separate lines for each of them.
Warning: this field must be used for film studio facilities only (example: Universtal Studios in Hollywood, Warner Studios in Burbank, Pinewood Studios in UK, Cinecitta' in Rome, etc.) and _not_ for actual on-site shooting film locations (i.e. real places or cities). There is a separate LOCATIONS list, managed by Rob Hartill, in the Internet Movie Database that specifically includes that kind of information.

CP: Copyright Holder and contact information.

The name of the individual or company that owns the copyright over the movie, followed by the address/contact information (if available). Not to be confused with the studio or distribution company, this information is usually found at the very end of the films title credits. Here's an example (all data is bogus and for sample purposes only):

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MV: Fictional Title, A (1996)

BT: $43,000,000 (USA)

OW: $5,400,000 (USA) (8-10 March 1996) (450 screens)

GR: $15,340,000 (USA) (10 March 1996)
GR: $35,405,000 (Non-USA) (10 March 1996)
GR: $50,745,000 (Worldwide) (10 March 1996)

RT: $25,130,000 

AD: 330,150 (USA)
AD: 21,000 (UK)

PD: 21 December 1995 - 7 February 1996

ST: Shepperton Studios, Shepperton (UK)
ST: Cinecitta', Rome (Italy)

CP: Foobar Productions, Inc.
CP: 1234 Wilshire Blvd.
CP: 90210 Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.
CP: Phone: 301-555-1234
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Corrections can be made by using the keyword "CORRECT-BUSINESS" instead of "BUSINESS".