Unfortunately "Broke-butt Mountain" isn't approaching zero, it's sales increased and it still has one of the highest per theater averages.
According to "Box Office Mojo"
Brokeback Mountain (Focus Films)
This Week: #13
Last Week: #8
Weekend Gross: $1,910,310
%Change: -23.8%
Theaters showing this week: 217
Change in # of theaters since last week: +148
Gross per screen: $8,803
Total Gross to date: $6,847,551
Cost to make: $14 million
Weeks in Theater: 3
So. . .despite nearly doubling the amount of theaters it showed in, weekend gross was DOWN nearly 25%, it dropped out of the Top Ten, it still is a money-loser, and only its' gross-per-screen is notable. . .
"Per theater" is the key to your spin. If they showed it in only one theater in the country -- and it happened to be in San Francisco and all the gays packed in -- you could get the very highest "per theater" boxoffice in history. This is a smoke-and-mirrors way to "calculate" its success.