How did the PRODUCTION and MARKETING/DISTRIBUTION of "The Woman in Black" influence its success at the box office?

The reasons as to why The Woman In Black was so successful was due to its effective promotion:

• Daniel Radcliffe, a well-known actor from the Harry Potter series, was cast as the main character which means that the film's audiences will already include his fan base 
• Momentum Theatrical arranged to have six seconds cut out, sound level reduced and lighting enhanced in some of the shots in order to qualify for a 12A certificate, to appeal to Harry Potter fans
• Hallowe'en competition, which consisted of finding the scariest ghost story and allowed the promotion to be more effective
• The Sun home page featured The Woman In Black advertising attention-grabbing banners and posters which enabled visitors to be aware
• Social media campaign: Twitter, Facebook pages"
• Press advertising (cross-media convergence)
• Radio advertising (cross-media convergence)
• The film being based on the play and novel of the same name, might attract fans of the novel/play
• Interviews by Daniel Radcliffe on TV, magazines...
• Soundtracks
• Merchandise (cups and t-shirts created)
• Competitions (HMV)
• Out of home advertising (6-sheet, large format)

How did the PRODUCTION and MARKETING/DISTRIBUTION of "Skyfall" influence its success at the box office?

The reasons as to why Skyfall was so successful was due to its effective promotion:

• The Skyfall debut is the 50th anniversary of Dr.No and the Bond Film series which could have hinted that this film was bound to be a special one
• Adele singing the theme song might have attracted her fans
• Sony, one of the most influential media conglomorates was behind the distribution of Skyfall
• Daniel Craig, a well-known actor, was cast as James Bond, which could have attracted his fan base
• James Bond is a popular and successful ongoing franchise
• Screened in IMAX venues
• The Sun, a popular British tabloid newspaper, had posted a 60-second TV spot for Skyfall which premiered on ITV, one of the most popular networks in the United Kingdom
• 4 TV spots were created for Skyfall that were broadcasted in the UK and US
• Being partly filmed in China, the most populous country in the world, people in China would have been informed of Skyfall and subsequently went to watch it at its release
• During the Olympics 2012, there was a short film starring Daniel Craig and the Queen, which could have contributed to its success

The Woman In Black / Skyfall Facts

Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates. 

As of March 2010, Sony Corporation has made 92 acquisitions while taking stakes at 56 companies. The company has 83 divestitures since 1983. Sony's biggest acquisition to date is that of Columbia Pictures, valued at U$3.4 billion at the time of purchase.