'Brokeback' a Box Office Success So Far

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

[rightwingintelligentsia]

LOS ANGELES - Who's afraid of a couple of gay cowboys? Not moviegoers, who helped "Brokeback Mountain" post the highest per-screen average over the film-flush holiday weekend.

The Ang Lee film, which follows the 20-year forbidden romance between two roughneck ranch hands, earned $13,599 per theater, compared with $9,305 for weekend winner "King Kong" and $8,225 for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

The big question is whether "Brokeback" can maintain its momentum as it moves from selected cities, where audiences are receptive to the subject matter, to suburbs far and wide, where that might not be the case.

Early numbers — and early awards buzz — establish the picture's staying power, industry insiders say. "Brokeback" earned a leading seven Golden Globe nominations.

"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."

Distributors planned to roll out the film slowly. It opened in just six theaters, where it earned an "unprecedented" $109,000 per venue, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

[Red Badger]

I guess Meet the Flockers isn't going over too well in the hinterlands.......

[Quilla]

No kidding. This explains the large per screen average. These deviants' relationships last all of two to three hours and this movie is the perfect venue for finding the next one.

[manic4organic]

"Homos on the Range"

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

It will make more money in the home-release categtory. There, it can be watched in the privacy of the home, stopped for "intermission", continued, stopped for "intermission", continued, stopped for "intermission"...

[Mathews]

Yup... the math is a little vague here. Of course BBM is going to post higher per screen numbers because there are far fewer screens to divide the paltry 4.5 million it earned. KK and CONTLWATW are grossing something like 55+ million, but are showing on a hellofalot more screens. Liberal media trying to hype a fag movie...

[Paulus Invictus]

Hollyporn continues to degrade the nation, but the glorification of gays in this sheepherder film is by far their most repugnant effort yet. Disgusting!

[NutmegDevil]

In our local "Arts" theater [a Clearview Cinema facility] all of their screens are showing only this tale of two enamored/entangled shepherds. Normally more than one choice is provided for their potential customers.

[A. Pole]

Hmm...because of it's relatively limited release, wouldn't it be more accurate to compare the "per theater" earnings of Kong and Narnia in the same cities where Brokeback was showing? Just a thought.

Oh, they just have shown this crap in place like Castro district in San Francisco and Back Bay/South End in Boston.

[Publius6961]

Early numbers — and early awards buzz — establish the picture's staying power, industry insiders say.

D'OH!

If there is no real momentum, manufacture some...
This is no different than the hundreds of "polls" predicting a huge Kerrey "landslide"...

[HostileTerritory]

CONTLWATW

I have to ask why you think that's preferable to typing "Narnia." :)

[Jaxter]

Yep, the theaters were packed and so were the patrons.

[NeonKnight]

The Polar Express tipped the scales at $20K per theatre. Never heard of it.

[loreldan]

I think it's for Oscars. If they roll it out to a few screens in areas that they know it will succeed in, the high screen average they get it will generate buzz among Hollywood elites , increasing their chances. They know it will flop nationwide which would put a damper on buzz.

[reagan_fanatic]

The only reason why BrokeColon Mountain made as much as it has so far is due in large part to the threaters installing knee pad dispensers in the bathrooms.

[Publius6961]

The Polar Express tipped the scales at $20K per theatre. Never heard of it.

I suspect the "penguin" movie did better than this...

[AppyPappy]

Who's ==>afraid<== of a couple of gay cowboys?

I think he meant "sheepboys".

[mewzilla]

Worldwide gross for the penguin movie was 106 million :)

[joesnuffy]

Behind every successful Hollywood revisionist cowboy...there's a good woman another cowboy

[Seajay]

they can always release it this summer in Provincetown, Fire Island and Rehoboth Beach ....

[cavtrooper21]

"two to three hours"
I had heard it averaged about 30 minutes.
You're talking some serious long term relationships here!!
(SARC!)