(Vanity) Brokeback Mountain, a Curious Attendance Story

Michael Medved Radio | 1-6-06 | Vanity

[Popman]

Credit to Pookie 18 daily cartooon thread

[Elpasser]

Did you see what the 4 guys in the theatre were DOING?

...never mind.

[Glenmerle]

As per boxofficemojo the budegt was 14M.

What I've heard is that a movie must make double its budget to break even (because promotion and distribution costs are so steep). In other words, this movie has to make $28 million to break even. It's not even close.

[sandbar]

>>>It showed how coming from nothing you could make something of yourself and overcome drinking and drugs.>>>

And two people who cheated and left families for their own selfish reasons.

[Rocky]

LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Box Office receipts are very hard to manipulate because all the studios get the same numbers."

I can see that. But couldn't whole theaters or "blocks" of tickets be bought up by someone promoting a movie, such as boxes of books can be bought up and counted as "sold" by a publisher pimping a book? That would be manipulating the numbers. They just want "tickets sold" they don't check to see if people are actually in the theater...or do they? I kinda doubt that Hollywood trusts a pimply-faced sixteen year old usher with that critical data, LOL!

That would explain the SOLD OUT theater with four bodies actually in it...if, in fact, that caller was telling the truth.

[Cogadh na Sith]

I've been wanting to go see 'Bareback Mounted' wearing a 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy' t-shirt.

Y'know, just to cause trouble....

I think the whole movie was based on a joke. I cannot repeat the entire joke, but the punchline is: "Well, Moo-Moo, Buckaroo."

[Rocky]

Great cartoon.

[HawaiianGecko]

 

"Actually, when Passion of the Christ was released and selling like hot cakes, there was more than one instance of a moviegoer reporting paying for it, getting a ticket to another movie and being told not to worry about it by management..."

Let me get this straight. A movie production company is going to use smoke and mirrors to convince the public that they grossed $200,000,000 and then expect the IRS to except that they only grossed a couple of million dollars???

I don't think so.
 

[pbear8]

Ivan, you didn't stop by and say 'hello' =(

[jw777]

the old Car Dealership trick. Hurry down, before the AMC Pacers are all gone.

[jim_trent]

A few days ago, a local radio personality said that everyone who called in could have one of two free prizes (their choice). One was two tickets to see Bareback Mountain. The other was a roll of Certs. He cut it off when the box of Certs was gone. During that time, he gave away 75 rolls of Certs and 3 pairs of tickets.

[Rocky]

First of all, the italics indicate I was reposting what someone else had posted. Second of all, anything can be made ridiculous by exaggeration. Who said anything about $200 million?

[Mogengator]

Were they wearing rain coats?

[dangus]

The attendance figures for BM are very strange. Initially, BM showed very poor legs, with its overall take only modestly growing as the number of theaters showing expanded rapidly. Now suddenly, the movie has strong legs.

[nonliberal]

"Sodomy on the Range".

Ho-mos on the Range
Where the queers and
The turd burglars play.

[dangus]

Why bring the King of the Surf Guitar (Dick Dale) into this?

[Liberty Valance]

I recall a similar type story concerning The Passion of the Christ. Hollywood is not quite what you might call honest.

[don-o]

That is too true to be funny.

Thanks!!

[keithtoo]

There were probaly eight people in there, but only four whose heads were above the seatbacks.

[joem15]

If the manager is playing games with the tickets he may have technically sold it out by playing switcheroo with the other venues.

As howard Dean said on Hardball: "you can't play, you know, hide the salami, or whatever it`s called."

[Bushbacker1]

Brokeback Mountain: Where men are men and sheep are nervous!

[dangus]

Theater's take is typically 45% of the cut. And then there's printing and marketing. But according to some basic rules of thumb, it is rapidly approaching profitability, presuming equally strong DVD and foreign grosses.

[Darkwolf377]

It depends. Double the budget is a rule of thumb and doesn't necessarily apply. What's more important is the cut the studio is getting at this point, which is probably 80%, no less than 70% I'm guessing, so it's very close to making back its budget. Also this is a platform release; it's in less than 10% of the theaters King Kong is in.

It's not important that it hasn't made it's money yet because it's got a long way to go.

[Popman]

Don't know if this passes the smell test.

Why would the theater hang a "sold out" sign on a theater with only four seats filled.

What would stop the theater from selling an additional 10 seats even if it was sold out, unless the ticket program is programmed to stop selling tickets once the seats are all bought?

Anybody know the answer to that question?

[dangus]

The suspicion, I think, is that wealthy gay people are buying up tickets. OF course, if a movie is about to start, you realize no-one is watching it, it might serve a theater owner's interest to make it appear like the movie is a hit, and is succeeding in appealling to a wider audience. Sorta like musicians throwing money into their own hat.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

The most hyper-publicized $15 million dollar movie ever made.

For this movie to achieve its objective, it's going to have to do a lot more than make its money back.

[Darkwolf377]

Theater's take is typically 45% of the cut.

Not true. A rolling take usually starts at anywhere from 70-80% for the first two weeks, then gradually drops.

[Plymouth Sentinel]

Yes Ivan, you're wholly right.

The economy is humming along very, very nicely. Not hot, though. Slow, sustainable, low inflationary growth.

Look for a recovery that heads out toward 8 or perhaps 10 years.

[Darkwolf377]

But it's not just making its money back. it still has theaters to open in and those Oscar nominations it will be getting. More hype, more theaters. besides, who cares if it achieves its objective, whatever that is?

[dangus]

>> Brokeback Mountain opens in Fresno this weekend. At the largest multiplex, Edward’s Cinema , they put it in the separate theatre on the IMAX screen. <<

A western, shot in the mountains, presented on IMAX? That WILL bring per-screen attendance up! Way up! IMAX screens are obscenely expensive, and normally rely on -- and get -- massive audiences.

[MadIvan]

Something else I noticed: stores like Wal Mart, Target and Costco appear to be gaining in popularity. I believe that one of the reasons why inflation is under control is due to discount retailers such as these, who continually are aggressive on prices.

Regards, Ivan

[Doomonyou]

Were they all men?

All sitting in the same chair.

Upside down chair.

[bulldozer]

nmh quote:"It was an okay movie. It's one of the few we've seen in years. I'd recommend it."

You are recommending a movie with two sodomite males who engage in anal sex for the viewers to experience?

I wounldn't recommend this to anyone.

[don-o]

Would agree. But, debt is a major concern. How have we avoided inflation with the massive debt / unbalance of trade, etc?

I am afraid to hear the answer.

[dangus]

I think it's the wild-eyed fervor with which you play up the success...

[dangus]

I think it's the wild-eyed fervor with which you play up the success...

[Darkwolf377]

Also, you're right about the DVD and foreign $$$. The publicity this thing is generating is going to make for a huge curiosity factor from people who want to see it without going to a theater.

[Darkwolf377]

Yes, explaining the facts when people push lies is a wild-eyed fervor. Sorry for thinking you were interested in an honest discussion about movie economics.

[Waco]

Who wants topay to see 2 queer democRATS cruise around a mountain? Comeon now, get series.

[HawaiianGecko]

 

lol, I wasn't accusing you of anything, you just had the text.

Make the numbers whatever they need to be...  It's still tough to announce that the cost of the flick was 'X' dollars, we sold out theatres for 'Y' dollars (an inflated amount) and our profit is Y-X dollars. 

I've seen a lot of accounting shenanigans in my career but never one that exposes you to fraud and stockholder lawsuits.

Example: Movie truly costs $25M to make and you raise $1 million each from 25 investors. Genuine revenues are $50M for a 100% or $25M return on investment with no monkey business involved. However, you spend another $10M buying tickets from theatres to make it look like the movie is selling more than it is. To do this you had to raise another $10M, $1M each from 10 more shareholders.

Your expenses are now $35M, revenues are now $60M and profit is still $25M. So 35 people get to split $25M instead of 25 people splitting $25M. 

I see lawsuits written all over this scheme.
 

[My2Cents]

LOL....Seriously, I thought the same thing when I saw that graphic.

[nmh]

"You are recommending a movie with two sodomite males who engage in anal sex for the viewers to experience?

I wounldn't recommend this to anyone."

I wouldn't either!

I was recommending Walk the Line about Johnny Cash!

YIKES!!!!

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

besides, who cares if it achieves its objective, whatever that is?

Cultural change is their objective. I think a few people care.

[CATravelAgent]

Congrats on a twisted mind. LOL!! Come on people... that was funny!

[Hank Rearden]

Walk the Line was a pretty good movie (although Ray was a better-acted biopic), but mass popularity has almost zip to do with nominations - Fudgepack Mountin' will bury WTL in nominations. Joaquin Phoenix may pick up Best Actor, though.

[Miss Marple]

There could be a reason for this to happen, and an explanation. If BBM and another movie had the same distributor, switching one for the other might be profitable for the theater, especially if the distributor is paying more for BB< than the other movie.

"Sold Out" would mean they had hit their limit on how many tickets they could divert to BBM.

It would help to know what movie was playing besides BBM, and if it had the same distributor.

[Dane]

Theater's take is typically 45% of the cut. And then there's printing and marketing. But according to some basic rules of thumb, it is rapidly approaching profitability, presuming equally strong DVD and foreign grosses

So in appx. one month BM has made appx. 33% less in the box office than "Passion Of the Christ" made in one day. And BM has had the most positive and fawning press blitz of any movie I can remember.

You are correct though about the appx. DVD sales. Homosexulals will be snapping them up like gerbils.

[Yogafist]

It looked like they were praciticing bronco busting.

[My2Cents]

Appropriate that this movie's initials are "BM."