Posted on 01/20/2006 10:16:53 AM PST by Lee_Marvin
Jumping off a big win at the kudofest Monday and helped by an otherwise weak field, "Brokeback Mountain" garnered the impressive achievement of a solid No. 1 win at the box office Tuesday and Wednesday despite playing just 682 theaters. With about $740,000 both days, Focus' cowboy love story beat "Glory Road," which was on 2,222 playdates, by approximately $50,000 Tuesday and $100,000 Wednesday.
That puts "Brokeback" in a very strong position as it expands this weekend to 1,194 playdates -- a significant boost from the 800-900 Focus was planning before the Globes victories.
...
Focus has been regularly expanding "Brokeback" by 100-200 playdates per week for the past few weeks, but decided to take advantage of excitement among exhibs and the public after the Globes.
"We have the opportunity now with these exhibitors to play at least through the Academy Award nominations," said Focus distrib toppertopper Jack Foley.
If, as expected, "Brokeback" garners a slew of Oscar noms on Jan. 31, it could go significantly wider then.
Pic will push into remaining small cities, as well as further into the suburbs, this weekend.
"Brokeback" also has a big weekend overseas, where it's opening in Spain, Italy, France, Norway and Taiwan. It's cumed $6.1 million foreign so far, mostly via two strong weeks in the U.K., where it's playing on 275 screens.
Pic bowed Wednesday in France with 155 prints, becoming the No. 2 pic in the country and the highest-ranked in Paris with 15,397 admissions. In all of France, it finished with 37,331 admissions, missing the No. 1 spot by about 1,000.
http://www.variety.com/VR1117936467.html
Reaching a bit aren't they?
I think they're trying to trick people into seeing this movie. While sick and watching daytime TV I noticed a few cable channels would air commercials for it EVERY commercial break (especially during Roseanne reruns). The commercial called it a love story and showed only the two men seperately with their wives and kissing their wives. It showed nothing of the two men together in any way. I thought to myself, is this the only way they can lure normal people into going out to see this garbage? I wonder how many men were taken to see it with their GF or wives thinking it was a real love story and then wanting to vomit in terror after seeing what it's really about.
Lmao.. that was the first thing that popped into my head when I found out what the movie was about. Matt and Trey sure called it! My husband and I refer to it as the gay cowboys eating pudding movie.
The 10% gay population of this country, apparently.
LOL about the Munich totals. Spielberg is taking a bath on that p.o.s. movie full of lies. Glad to see it.
>>>As for Narnia, I think it would've been much more impressive if I saw it before the LOTR movies. Kinda suffered by comparison.>>>
Well the story is geared to an audience about five years younger, so that can account for some of it. The story itself I mean.
Since when has WEEKDAY numbers been trumpeted so loudly? The free publicity this movie has received is unbelieveable...the Golden Globes has obviously piqued people's interest..and there is literally no competition EXCEPT Narnia which came out earlier (and did, of course, much better!)
When all is said and done, this will be another MSM "Katrina" moment...lots of hype, but reality a different thing.
Reminds me of a line by the Chinese Kung Fu Master in Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. "I have a buttery topping for your popcorn. And its non-dairy!"
Their budget was a fraction of LOTR's for the same special effects crew (Weta Workshop) and it showed.
“Brokeback Mountain” Success Inspires Hollywood
Exhibitor Relations Co. reports that over Dec. 10-11 weekend, the film brought in the highest per-screen average for any film release in 2005. "Brokeback Mountain" has also landed awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Associations and the New York Film Critics Circle.
Plans are now in the works to do a gay/bestiality version of the “Lone Ranger.”
Pinky Sfinktir, press secretary for the Screen Actors’ Guild, called the move a “no-brainer.” “If movie-goers turn out to see two no-name cowboys go at it, imagine the impact when icons like the Lone Ranger and Tonto hit the sack together,” said Sfinktir.
The bestiality angle is motivated by two goals, says Sfinktir. “On the one hand, there is the creative desire to push the envelope,” Sfinktir said. “The gay thing has been pretty much mainstreamed for the American viewing audiences. We need to take it to the next level.”
“On the other hand, the famous ‘hi-yo Silver’ catch-phrase is a natural marketing hook for promoting the film,” said Sfinktir.
The plotline starts out with the Lone Ranger’s special relationship with Silver. One evening, Tonto dons the rear half of a horse costume and seduces a drunken Lone Ranger. Eventually, a passionate three-way relationship is established. When not engaged in carnal interactions, the heroes track down and arrest an outlaw gang that has perpetrated a series of hate-crimes against a gay “Dude Ranch.”
Other homofied stories in the mill include action-adventure “Batman & Robin (the Boy Wonder),” historical epic “Robinhood & His Very Merry Men,” and a musical-comedy “Man of la Macho.”
read more at
http://www.azconservative.org/Column_Archives.htm
Perhaps I am just reluctant to think that this movie actually can be so distinguished by the numbers.
Figures are confirmed. The film was #1 for Thursday as well, BTW.
With all of the attention its been getting, many will see it out of the curiousity factor.
Look for the sequel... Chocolate Mountain
It's not showing in my county and won't be.
hmmm...I figured it had to be somewhere. I travel 635 east and west daily and I haven't seen it on any of the marquees I pass.
I wonder how it's doing down here (north Texas). I go to movies probably twice a year and I definitely won't see this one (shudder), but nearly every movie I've seen in the last 2 years had fewer than 20 people in the theater with exception of "The Passion..." - the line was out the door and around the theater.
A fair number of movies are released this way. Million Dollar Baby didn't break 10 million for 6 weeks, but went on to make over 100 million in the US alone. I couldn't find the figures for Mystic River, but I presume they were similar - it ended up at 90 million domestic. Not every movie is released as a Hollywood blockbuster - in fact, the current way of doing it is fairly new. Even Star Wars opened on a few screens, then expanded - that used to be the norm. Now the studios want all the money in the first week (where their take is largest) and before word of mouth gets to ruin to the movie. So in that sense, you're right: most modern movies make all their money in the first few weeks and then disappear. But there are still a fair number of movies that succeed the old-fashioned way - by building an audience slowly.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.