No. No one is censoring it. It is a documentary, and docs just do not do well. I am told by people who distribute films that 99% of all docs lose money.
To get your doc on PBS (which I have) you have to PAY THEM!
Most theaters will give DOAN maybe 2 showings a day/night. I tried to go see it three weeks ago and it was only available at limited theaters at certain times. Well, welcome to the world of moviemaking.
It has now grossed $5.4m. Not bad, but in the movie business, this means the FILM has made $2.7m of its investors’ $6.2m budget. This does not include “prints and advertising”/marketing, which is never disclosed, but is likely at least $1m and probably $2m.
So basically the film has made about 25% of its money back. DVD sales and licensing will likely add another 10%.
The issue is not box office receipts, but rather media coverage of the film’s release. Although I agree that the word censorship is misapplied here. Boycott, blacklisting, or smear campaign might be more accurate.
Just read your home page.
Thank you for using your talent and passion for discovering and telling the truth to the masses via book & film!
“It has now grossed $5.4m. Not bad, but in the movie business, this means the FILM has made $2.7m of its investors’ $6.2m budget. This does not include ‘prints and advertising’/marketing, which is never disclosed, but is likely at least $1m and probably $2m... So basically the film has made about 25% of its money back. DVD sales and licensing will likely add another 10%.”
With private equity you never really know the true numbers. Documentaries are usually less expensive to make than dramatic feature films. And the cost for “film” and “prints” has drastically changed because of everything digital. So, for example, with cheap software (Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, which is $299 for the Studio version) you can create Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) for theatrical distribution without outsourcing to specialty shops like filmmakers had to in the past. Or, if you have a multi-million-dollar budget, like this film, you can get these things done for much less than in the past. What used to cost tens-of-thousands of dollars now costs thousands or even hundred.
The published budgets of films are, in some cases, reported low in order to appeal to indie filmmakers. So you’ll hear things like so-and-so film was “shot” for $15,000. But this is not the entire budget. On the other hand, and more frequently, budgets are inflated in order to make the audience feel they are getting some kind of value or bargain. Which sounds better, paying $15 to see a film that was made for $15,000 or $15,000,000?
You are probably right that this film did not return a profit and may never do so. But most films don’t. Many never even get picked up in distribution deals at all. Films like this are not mainly about making money. It’s great when they do. And it helps to sell the next project. But profit is not the only measure of success here.
Isn’t DOAN doing much worse than his previous documentary Obama’s America?
As you pointed out in your stats, it has failed to recoup its production costs.. it will likely be out of the theatres by next week at this pace..
I was hoping Good Morning America or some such show would have him on, but they all decided to ignore him.
“”Most theaters will give DOAN maybe 2 showings a day/night. I tried to go see it three weeks ago and it was only available at limited theaters at certain times.””
I think that was true of his other movies also, wasn’t it? I think we had to make plans to see them when they were available in our area and had to watch for the dates/time.