'Brokeback' a Box Office Success So Far

AP in Yahoo News ^ | December 29, 2005 | Sandy Cohen

[joesnuffy]

Or chapped lips...

[BlessedBeGod]

"It delivered very strong growth in what is truly a highly unforgiving, competitive, cruel market at this Christmas period," said Jack Foley, president of theatrical distribution for Focus Features. "It showed it has breadth beyond the gay community."

Solely because of their dishontest marketing.

[kaylar]

The producers spent $14 million to the movie and the box office take has been $8 million, which means the producers have made approximately $4 million of that. They're still $10 million in the hole (pun not intended!)

Is that the cost of just making the movie, or of all expenses? I ask because Disney's Treasure Planet didn't even make enough to pay for the cost of advertising. While BM doesn't have near the advertising as a Disney would-be "blockbuster" (and no Burger King tie-ins, etc) there should be some expenses for promoting the thing-so this movie may be even more of a financial bomb than your scenario suggests.

[Mathews]

COFFEE!!! Too much coffee!!! Plus, I just learned to type without looking at the screen. It's fun!

[wtc911]

hmmm... I have NEVER (NEVER NEVER NEVER) heard of this 'per screen' average being used to rate a movie success.

======================================================

It is common within the industry and takes into account what is known as P&A costs; that is the Prints (copies of the film at $100k per) and local Advertising expense. The wider the release the greater the P&A and due to the way distribution deals are structured, the harder it is to recoup production costs.

[pepsionice]

When you walk into a Tampa theater and count the number of people on a Friday night watching Brokeback...and its less than 60...you've got profit issues. There is a profit margin for every theater...and if a movie can carry it...you dump it quickly. Well...in this case...there are probably 40 theaters throughout the nation...half in LA or San Fran which are profitable on this movie. The rest are spread throughout the country. It simply isn't making any major profit.

[Always Right]

I guess when the total box office take is crummy, you talk about sales per screen. There is a reason the movie is on so few screens...a very limited audience. Who really wants to see two gay sheepherders. If there is a sequel, I suggest the sheep go into hiding.

Yep, they went from 10 screens to 69 screens and now to 219 screens, and each week their Boxoffice is going down. They are still clinging to their first weekend where every gay in San Fransissy went to see it four times.

[KC_Conspirator]

I guess when the total box office take is crummy, you talk about sales per screen.

Exactly. This is totally deceptive.

[Always Right]

If my memory serves me, "limited market roll-outs" are generally subject to "special" (read: higher) pricing per ticket.

It is amazing how they have greatly increased the theaters each week but they keep slipping at the box office. Spin, spin, spin those numbers.

[OldFriend]

So now we have a new description of success.......the highest per screen average.

Anyone care to splain!!

nevermind

[HostileTerritory]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=brokebackmountain.htm

Monday the 26th was the first day when they broke $1,000,000 in a single day.

[hershey]

This movie will die on the vine.

[zeugma]

Yup. that was my first thought as well. Misdirection is the primary game of the MSM. I would doubt that this thing will even make money, but there are groups out there willing to go to extremes to make it look like it is doing much better than it is.

[bulldozer]

"Don't be fooled by Brokeback Mountain's seven Golden Globe nominations. What a sad day in America when a movie that glorifies homosexuality, adultery, dangerous and deadly unprotected anal sex and deception is up for Best Picture of the Year. This anti-family movie sends a very harmful, insidious message to its viewers, cloaked in awards nominations," said Stephen Bennett, host of Straight Talk Radio.

"Brokeback Mountain's nomination for Best Picture of the Year depicts a tragic picture of the all time moral low our culture has sunk to. When a movie based on a short story, containing graphic, explicit, dangerous homosexual anal sex by two men is elevated to Best Picture of the Year, America better wake up. With HIV and AIDS on the rise, and homosexual men dropping dead because of this dangerous, potentially deadly behavior, you better believe, I'll be sounding the alarm on this movie. I've buried too many friends who died from AIDS to keep quiet on this one," said Bennett.
Straight Talk Radio

[overkill_007_2000]

I guess when the total box office take is crummy, you talk about sales per screen.
Exactly. This is totally deceptive.


At the local theaters here in the SF Bay Area King Kong is or was playing on as many as 4 screens per theater. Funny they don't mention that.

[Always Right]

Yes, but that was a Holiday weekend and a day everyone had off with nothing to do. If you notice their ranking dropped from 8th to 14th. Other movies on that holiday weekend kicked its barebutt.

[sitetest]

Dear Always Right,

Dec 23, 24 & 25 were off from a week before, but Dec 26 (a traditionally strong day for movies) came back rather strongly. Box Office Mojo hasn't shown any numbers for Tuesday or Wednesday, yet. That'll be the real test to see how well this flick will do.

In 217 theaters, now, the movie's per-screen gross is still strong (although perhaps not as strong as should be for such a limited release). One wonders, though, what would happen if they released in a thousand theaters instead of two hundred.

It's possible that the film will at least gross the cost to film and distribute, perhaps even possible to eventually break even (especially once released to DVD). But of course, this is only because some of the folks associated with this film (including the award-winning director) forewent much of the compensation that they usually would have received for their participation. Otherwise, this film would have easily cost double or triple what it actually did.

So the lesson is, if some communofascist pigs of Hollyweird get together and give away millions of dollars of their own time to produce a movie that undermines critical social values, they might not get soaked at the box office.


sitetest

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

You forgot the dispensers of "bite pillows", too.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

...but it still won't prevent the movie from being profitable.

This film has a loooong way to go before it gets anywhere near profitable.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

"Don't be fooled by Brokeback Mountain's seven Golden Globe nominations."

I never think much of Hollywood's incestuous, self-congratulatory awards anyway. Of course they're going to heap praises on something that advances their agenda.