posted on December 16, 2005 09:34:11 AM
What are you talking about? If you are looking at general weekend receipts with no theater totals for comparison, you should know that the were only five theaters the first weekend. It's not a flop - it blew the doors off.
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Brokeback Mountain corralled $547,425 over the weekend, or a potent $109,485 per site. The average ranks ninth overall among the top weekend averages since 1982, behind animated features including The Lion King and Pocahontas. Adjust for ticket price inflation, and only Evita and Edward Scissorhands inch ahead among live action pictures, although each played at two venues where high averages were easier to achieve.
Distributor Focus Features' president of distribution, Jack Foley, reported that The Grove in Los Angeles, where Brokeback Mountain is showing on three screens, was the picture's highest-grossing venue. The New York theaters were each over $100,000, while the Embarcadero in San Francisco was over $80,000, according to Foley.
"It's overwhelming, basically," said Foley. "From what we understand, the sell outs began mid-afternoon. We had a good representation of males as well as females, and people from 35 years old to seniors." Foley added that women will be the key to the picture's future success.
Next weekend, Focus rolls Brokeback Mountain out to around 60 theaters, including 20 new markets like Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Denver and Washington, D.C.
"Our biggest problem is going to be exhibition," Foley noted. "Brokeback Mountain's not ready [to expand widely]. I don't want to go up against King Kong any more than I am. We have to play to our strengths. Exhibitors are going to be in it for the quick money. We're in it for the long run. We have a film that needs very careful management."
According to Foley, the next wave of aggressive expansions will start on Jan. 6 with a plan to be at more than 300 theaters by Jan. 27, right before the Academy Award nominations are announced. Foley noted that the picture could go wider before then depending on how it is received in the meantime.
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An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
posted on December 16, 2005 09:47:00 AM
Hmmm new information guess it isn't "so far".
I am wondering how it will fare in more main stream America? I personally have no desire to see it, just based on being a love story. Don't like love stories., to sappy.
Ron
"Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not."
posted on December 16, 2005 10:32:40 AM
I think it's going to do well. It has great word of mouth and as soon as it starts hitting wider release the religious right is going to come out against it, give it millions of dollars in free advertising and create the curiosity factor which will help it do even better. Notice that wide release is planned for the weekend after the Golden Globes and three weeks before the Oscars. If it wins a globe award (which it is the favorite for) it's just going to create an even bigger buzz which will continue as they go into the Oscars and all of the inteviews, clips, reviews and predictions done for the week or two leading up to them.
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An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
posted on December 16, 2005 10:59:10 AM
How well it will do in mainstream America probably depends on how explicit it is. I have no problem with the concept of gay men, but I don't want to watch "the act."
One of my favorite TV shows was Six Feet Under, which prominently featured a gay couple. BUT the show never showed anything explicit. I'd have lost interest VERY quickly if they did.
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Quidquid Latine dictum sit altum sonatur.
posted on December 16, 2005 12:14:11 PM
Aaahhhhh, Craw, you meat that movie that gives new meaning to the term cowBOY and bareBack.
What part are you and Miss Hubby playing in the movie?
"Dear Lord, if you can't make me a better man, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am.".
posted on December 16, 2005 04:12:26 PM
I've found out this is a conspiracy to take all the gay peoples money.
The gay nation will pay to see Bareback Mountain as many times as they have money, just to make it a sucksess.
If anything is left they will sell it off for quick cash to invest in the sequel “Fisting Hill”
Okay, a little of my anti-gay humor.
I didn't think it had a snowballs chance in hell but there's a lot of gays in the movies industry so I don't know.
I don’t think it will be a big hit. I doubt it will be of interest to many straight people.
Amen,
Reverend Colin http://www.reverendcolin.com
posted on December 17, 2005 08:02:12 AMThere are just too many movies out right now about gay cowboys.
Oh yeah, care to name them since there are so many out there.
I know linda and Bear aren't going to miss it
Please Linda and Bear will be in the front of the line - protesting - because it is supporting the gay agenda.
The movie is part of the gay agenda. First they show how two cowboys fall in love. Next year, there will be the gay sports movie, where two football or baseball players fall in love and get married, then the following year it will be the two gay business men who fall in love and start a worldwide successful gay business. Finally we will have to gay politicians that fall in love and start a successful campaign for the presidency.
You see it is just the start of what will come in mainstream gay movies
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on December 17, 2005 08:04:12 AMIf anything is left they will sell it off for quick cash to invest in the sequel “Fisting Hill”
I guess Colin is already writing the sequel. Are you going to star in the sequel as the fistee?
Are you feeling a little jealous that is there is no movies about self proclaimed ministers who start their own church? I'd bet that would be a success at the box office.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on December 19, 2005 07:26:28 AM
Hmm interesting, but I don't see King Kong as an oscar contender outside of the effects categories.
and further reading is that they are disappointed in Kong's opening weekend.
What is amazing is that Harry Potter is still going strong.
Ron
"Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not."
posted on December 19, 2005 07:38:40 AM
Fenix, if BB is in only 2% (69/3568) of the theaters that KK is in, it only stands to reason those theaters will be more crowded.
More simply, let's say KK is in 98 local theaters, and BB is only in 2. It stands to reason that if BB has anything more than 2% of theater-goers want to see BB, then that one theater is going to be more crowded.
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Quidquid Latine dictum sit altum sonatur.
posted on December 19, 2005 07:44:11 AM
Replay - BB is in every city in America. Brokeback is in about a dozen. It's not like people in Nebraska are driving to Denver to go see it. It's drawing from it's natural audience in each city.
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An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
posted on December 19, 2005 08:24:40 AM
Thanks fenix for this weekends figures on Brokeback. I was wondering how well it did.
I doubt it will be of interest to many straight people.
Wrong, from what I have heard, there are quiet a few straight people in the audience watching this movie. More than you think there would be.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on December 19, 2005 01:05:43 PM
"I guess Colin is already writing the sequel. Are you going to star in the sequel as the fistee?
Are you feeling a little jealous that is there is no movies about self proclaimed ministers who start their own church? I'd bet that would be a success at the box office."
posted on December 19, 2005 05:03:21 PM
Since when does box office have anything to do with winning an oscar?
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Habla siempre que debas y calla siempre que puedas....
posted on December 23, 2005 03:35:10 PM
A flop would not be showing in more theaters.
By Ian Mohr
Variety
Published December 23, 2005
After its gay cowboy love story -- "Brokeback Mountain" -- rode roughshod over more mainstream competition in Texas, Arizona and Florida, Universal specialty film arm Focus Features is accelerating expansion plans.
Focus brass said Monday that it will roll out "Brokeback" on 300-400 screens by Jan. 6, altering its original agenda of putting the film on 250 screens by Jan. 13.
That decision by Focus co-heads James Schamus and David Linde came after the Ang Lee-helmed picture -- starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboys who spark a taboo romance while ranching together during the early '60s -- lassoed the No. 8 spot in the top 10 over the weekend from a scant 69 theaters, including Chicago.
The total is just under $3.5 million to date, and the picture's final gross for its second frame was $2.5 million, with a per screen average of $36,455. That's even higher than Sunday-morning estimates that not only impressed industry types but drew national attention.
The move to broaden the picture's presence comes as "Brokeback" is riding a wave of critics' honors and media attention without its distributor having paid a single dollar in TV advertising for the $14 million picture.
Beyond any urban strongholds for gay audiences, Focus is zeroing in on the very states where the picture takes place, Texas and Wyoming, as well as other turf where pundits might assume a gay-themed project would have a bumpy ride. But Schamus said the film is playing to both males and females, proving it has branched out beyond purely gay demos in the fly-over states.
"The key for us is very specific," he said. "We know that once we get beyond the stereotype with this movie, there's an explosion of interest in the emotional experience because you've witnessed a great American love story."
He added that the decision to expand more quickly was based on audience reaction setting the pace and not the studio's desire to simply capture lightning in a bottle. "We are going very delicately and subtly," he said. "So many people get out ahead of themselves because they get excited and worry about leaving money on the table. But the expansion is a response to the avidity of the audience. We are taking a completely organic approach that's fundamentally likened to the emotional [experience] of the movie. We will never sell a phenomenon, or sell a piece of the zeitgeist."
On Sunday, the New York Times ran a piece in its Styles section on real-life gay cowboys in Wyoming, mentioning that no exhibitors are showing the picture in that state. But any insinuation that the film has been shunned by exhibitors is wrong -- Focus hadn't gone wide enough with it to include Wyoming yet but always planned to. And theaters in that state are eagerly booking "Brokeback."
The film has played well so far in unexpected places -- such as Plano, Texas, where it's showing on two screens; Phoenix; and Voorhees, Pa., outside of Philadelphia -- without any resistance from exhibitors.
"It's too soon for us, but we are following it closely," said Michael Patrick, CEO of Georgia-based regional chain Carmike, of the phenomenon so far. "If it continues to gross anywhere near what it has, it will play with us."
A Fandango exec said that the ticket-ordering Web site is getting a significant number of e-mails from fans wondering why the picture isn't playing in their town -- a phenomenon that he said rarely occurs.
In order to break into markets with populations under 50,000, the typical profile for Carmike's theaters, "Brokeback" would have to hit around 2,000 playdates. That's a heady goal for an indie picture.
With its early January expansion, Focus will aim to penetrate suburban markets surrounding Seattle, San Diego, Dallas and Portland before moving into more remote places like Nashville and Columbus, Ohio, by Jan. 30.
Focus has so far been testing the waters carefully with the film, not knowing what the climate may be like for such a project at the moment, and it is realizing the timing is right.
By comparison, it sent out another awards contender -- arty version of a John le Carre thriller "The Constant Gardener" -- on nearly 1,350 screens in early September. Its "Pride & Prejudice" went out on 215 screens Nov. 11 and has expanded to over 1,140 to date.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on December 23, 2005 08:02:11 PM
Brokeback Burnout? Cowboys Collapsing?
You wouldn’t know it from all the hype and the endless critics’ awards. But Ang Lee’s "Brokeback Mountain" may be suffering a little burnout in its third week of release.
Indeed, "Brokeback"—-aka the Gay Cowboy movie—-has seen declines at the box office every day this week after a huge premiere and subsequent run in gay-concentrated neighborhoods.
But now it may be that reality is setting in, and reality bites, as we all know. On Monday, "Brokeback" was 51 percent off from Sunday. On Tuesday, it was down 9.1 percent from Monday. By Wednesday, it was off another 7.6 percent. All in all, it dropped to No. 10 on its 13th day out.
Today, "Brokeback" nearly doubles its number of theaters to 217, but this may be a real litmus test. There is hardly a straight male in the U.S. who will see this movie voluntarily. No matter how well made it is—-and it is very well crafted by a hugely talented group of people—-it’s hard to imagine a suburban wife coaxing hubby to the Cineplex on Saturday night to see two men consummate their passion.
"“More Iraqis think things are going well in Iraq than Americans do. I guess they don’t get the New York Times over there.”—Jay Leno".
posted on December 23, 2005 10:26:40 PM
The movie will still be more of a success than Gigli was
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on December 23, 2005 11:03:44 PM
You know Bear - those numbers sound bad until you compare them with other movies out at the same time. For instance, Narnia had a 52% drop off from Sunday to Monday, King Kong has a 64% drop off. It also fails to mention that Brokeback has only a 6.8% drop of from Saturday to Sunday where every other movie out at had drop offs between 20-30%. there is also a factual error. It is not at #10, It's at number #9 and as of yesterday was still averaging just over $5,000 a theater. Narnia is averaging just over $1500, Kong is just over $1300.
Sounds like the writer of your piece is working very hard to make the movie sound as if it is doing much worse than it is by purpoisly failing to put the numbers into perspective.
You don't think that this could because caused by some type of bias do you?
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Never ask what sort if computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him? - Tom Clancy
[ edited by fenix03 on Dec 23, 2005 11:04 PM ]
