The Indie Month That Was
By Tom Houseman
June 2, 2010
Please Give: Nicole Holofcener’s films have never been big box-office hits, but her latest is underwhelming even by her low standards. Her latest “lifestyles of the upper-middle class and dysfunctional” expose has barely made a blip on the radar, even as it’s expanded past 50 theaters. Thus far it’s standing at around $1.4 million, about $12 million less than her last film, Friends with Money. Of course, that one starred Jennifer Aniston and had a budget more than twice the size of Please Give’s, which stars Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet. This one won’t make back its budget in theatrical release alone, as it cost Sony Classics $3 million, but it’ll come close.
Princess Kiaulani: Remember Q’oriankaKilcher, the breakout star of Terrence Malick’sThe New World? No? Well her first film since that didn’t exactly make a splash at the box-office. The biopic opened on 33 theaters, making a little over $186,000, but that was pretty much the end of the good news. Despite expanding to a wide release of 47 the following weekend, Princess Kaiulani hasn’t been able to build much on its opening. Thus far the film stands with a total of $626,985, and Roadside Attractions has to be disappointed with this number, as the film cost $9 million to make.
Solitary Man: This Michael Douglas vehicle is just beginning its expansion, so it's hard to say where things are going to go from here. The film debuted with $94,936 its opening weekend on four screens, but good reviews, especially raves for Michael Douglas, could buoy this film and give it some serious legs. Considering this film has a $15 million budget, it’s going to need a much more significant expansion and a marketing push to break even. Of course, if Douglas is able to get any Oscar buzz for his performance it will give this film more attention, but that will only help with DVD sales and rental. Anchor Bay Films has been all over the map this year, with City Island doing quite well and After.Life bombing, so they are really hoping that they can develop a hit out of Solitary Man.
Casino Jack and the United States of Money: Exit through the Gift Shop may have been a sleeper hit, but that doesn’t represent a trend for small release documentaries, as evidenced by the results of this film. The documentary about lobbyist Jack Abramoff (not to be confused with Casino Jack, a fictional narrative about the same man) hasn’t been able to find an audience despite its topical themes. The film debuted on nine theaters to an opening week of just over $40,000, but despite expansion it hasn’t built on that number. So far the box office for the doc is $136,691, and while it might continue to expand, a quarter of a million seems to be the cap.
Mother and Child: It’s gotten off to a slow start, but if it keeps on expanding this drama could end up with some thoroughly respectable numbers. Attempting to trick people into it by debuting on Mother’s Day, this drama had an opening weekend of just over $43,000 on four theaters. Since then, Mother and Child has picked up its game; it expanded to 37 theaters by its third weekend, but might be slowing down. With a cast that includes Oscar nominees Annette Benning, Samuel L. Jackson and Naomi Watts, you’d think that Sony Classics would put some more oomph into the marketing and expansion of this one, but it seems like they’re dropping the ball. With a budget of $7 million, Mother and Child will need a lot more than its current $336,545 to be considered anything but a flop.
Looking for Eric: Ken Loach’s last film, the drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley, took in almost $2 million in the US, but that one could be advertised as a Palm d’Or winner. He doesn’t have the same luck with his latest film, a comedy, and is unlikely to find the same success. It’s still in the beginning of its expansion, having only hit six screens, and stands with a total of $34,035. Reviews have been very positive, so a steady expansion and positive word-of-mouth could be very promising for this import.
Holy Rollers: With a premise that involves the words “Orthodox Jewish drug dealer” and a cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha, I can’t figure out how this isn’t the number one film in America. Possibly the fact that it’s only expanded to 21 theaters so far might be an explanation. This crime drama debuted on only three theaters, opening to just under $40,000, but looks to expand significantly in the following weeks. First Independent Pictures is hoping to have a minor hit on their hands, as this is only their seventh release to crack six figures.
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