Slow Start at the BO Does Not Necessarily Spell Financial Doom


In this Sept. 5th, 2010 NY Times article, the revenue streams from several 2010 films - that started slowly - are analyzed. One example, Kick-Ass, is apparently living up to its title. Mini-major Lionsgate acquired Kick-Ass for a rumoured advance of $25 million from producer/director Matthew Vaughn (who, when no studio was willing to risk paying for the production, had financed the movie for something like $25+ million through private investors). Kick-Ass was then perceived as a disappointment in April 2010 when it only grossed $19.8 million domestically on its opening weekend (remember only a fraction of box office gross is returned to the distributor in the form of film rentals). But Kick-Ass has gone on to generate good numbers at the box office (about $97 million worldwide to date). What's more, Kick-Ass is on track to sell over two million copies on DVD and digital download services. And lucrative sales to TV channels around the world are still to come. (Compare Kick-Ass to other recent films based on quirky comic books - Jonah Hex (2010) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) - that opened slowly and are unlikely ever to make a profit.)

No comments:

Randy Finch's Film Blog:

Thoughts from a film producer about making and distributing films.