12/12/2005
Weekend Brokeback box office report from Box Office Guru: "Exploding in platform release with one of the most spectacular grosses ever seen for a limited release bow was Ang Lee's cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain which debuted in only five cinemas but grossed an estimated $545,000 for a jaw-dropping $108,910 average per theater. "
What real cowboys think of Brokeback Mountain.
Boston Film Critics choose Brokeback as Best Picture.
L.A. critics name Brokeback best movie of 2005.
Left Coast Breakdown: What Do Queer Cowboys Mean?: "I've learned as a Mormon and I've learned as a gay man, that sometimes, all we have is that moment alone on the mountain. Jack and Ennis are lucky in an untold fashion, that they had someone to share it with."
The Towleroad Guide to Brokeback Mountain
Posted 8:00 AM EST by Andy Towle in Elsewhere | Permalink
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This is, in fact, enormous. They could easily do $100K per screen for the weekend, which is unheard of.
Posted by: matt | Dec 10, 2005 6:07:54 PM
I won't pretend to understand the limited release. Maybe it was just a lack of confidence. I hope the success of this film will forever put to rest the idea that Gay themed movies will attract more controversy than cash, and that taking Gay parts will harm the careers of actors.
Congrats to Mr. Lee, and his stars.
Posted by: Jay Croce | Dec 10, 2005 6:35:47 PM
A $100k per screen average, which should easily be surpassed on Sunday, would put Brokeback at #9 all time for opening weekend averages.
The limited release is intended to build buzz, and a proven method to build interest and grosses when it goes wide. Based on these numbers, Brokeback will easily turn a profit, and be impossible for the Academy Awards to overlook.
Strange to feel such satisfaction from an accomplishment that isn't my own!
Posted by: Brian | Dec 10, 2005 6:44:17 PM
Plus, a lot of the theater-operators were hesitant to commit scenes up-front without a sense of the public-enthusiasm. And most of the suburban "plexes" are controlled by only a few chains for mass-release.
Posted by: Ted B. | Dec 10, 2005 7:02:27 PM
FYI -- it's 5 theaters NOT 5 screens. It is showing on MULTIPLE screens in each of those theaters. Please keep that in mind when doing your calculating.
bleeeeep
Posted by: SHIRLEY HEMPHILL | Dec 10, 2005 7:29:50 PM
I think the limited release was smart. It'll get them good press because of it's amazing per screen average. Every screening yesterday and today has been sold out at the Grove. I stood in a line for an hour today to see it.
Great movie. Very powerful. Heath Ledger's performance has Oscar written all over it.
Posted by: Mitch | Dec 10, 2005 8:15:15 PM
Incredible movie. I can't get the images out of my mind. Its been 24 hours since I've seen it and the movie still haunts me, and I keep finding myself on the verge of tears.
Posted by: Robert | Dec 10, 2005 9:19:50 PM
Here are some astounding numbers from Box Office Mojo who's readers and site visitors graded Brokeback Mountain. I read this site at least twice weekly and NEVER have I seen this percentage of A's for ANY movie, a whopping 77% !
GRADE THIS MOVIE
Readers B+ (83 votes)
Your Grade Log in
GRADE BREAKDOWN
A's: 64 77.1%
B's: 3 3.6%
C's: 3 3.6%
D's: 3 3.6%
F's: 10 12.0%
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=brokebackmountain.htm
Posted by: Johnny Lane | Dec 10, 2005 9:31:23 PM
It's running on three screens at the theater here in San Francisco, most of tomorrow's showing are already sold out (which is why I won't be seeing it this weekend).
To Mitch's comment, this kind of small release at the holidays is nothing out of the ordinary because the film is now eligible for Oscar nominations, while wide release will new be after the holidays where it could get lost in the shuffle and closer the Oscar nominations themselves and members voting.
Posted by: Jamison | Dec 10, 2005 9:56:13 PM
The quality of the downloads on this movie are much better from megaupload than from sexuploader...
you'll need to piece the six clips together but with since they're mpegs the Windows Media Player does a great job...
slow in downloading but who can beat the price?
Free!
Posted by: HisHolynessDPope | Dec 10, 2005 10:17:20 PM
i for one am anxiously waiting for the ads that announce the opening in local theatres. HURRY up and get here would you??
Posted by: ~tim | Dec 10, 2005 10:23:16 PM
Wide Release in the U.S. December 16th......
Posted by: Johnny Lane | Dec 11, 2005 12:06:43 AM
Brokeback is, in fact, playing on closer to 15 screens in 5 theaters. However, the magic of Hollywood accounting means that the per screen average will be based on 5 screens, giving it the highest opening average of the year.
The same thing happens for every film - the studio ships a print to theaters, and they rig it up to show on as many as three screens. But the studio only counts it as one screen.
Call it Enron-lite.
Posted by: Brian | Dec 11, 2005 12:09:22 AM
Brokeback is completely selling out in theaters here in NYC. It's like impossible to get tickets except for midnight showings. It's unbelievable. It's packing them in.
Posted by: Matt | Dec 11, 2005 12:22:08 AM
Incredible movie. I can't get the images out of my mind. Its been 24 hours since I've seen it and the movie still haunts me, and I keep finding myself on the verge of tears.
Posted by: Robert | Dec 11, 2005 1:14:08 AM
Enron-lite? Please. I wish movie watchers didn't care about the gross. It's about the film, the art, the story.....not the cash. Fuck the per screen average. I've read the short story twice and it is amazing. Seems like the movie may have done justice to Proulx's writing. I can't get a ticket in NYC, so I'll have to wait and see.
Posted by: jon | Dec 11, 2005 1:17:02 AM
I *love* how everyone is looking at this movie like it's the next logical step after Stonewall or the Garner vs. Texas event of our gay generation. First Stonewall, then domestic partner benefits, then Queer Eye, now Brokeback...we'll have total freedom and equality within a year! Thank you, Ang Luther King!
And this has nothing to do with the movie itself, I'm seeing it on Wednesday and am looking forward to it, since I have heard it's incredible-just the breathless, over the top reporting that's giving too much significance to one movie.
And as for the per screen averages-it opened in New York, LA, and San Francisco after *months* of hype and awards-if it hadn't done as well as it did, something would be seriously wrong. It's not *that* significant-it opened in "friendly" territory.
Posted by: Charles | Dec 11, 2005 2:26:41 AM
where can we download the movie?somebody mentioned there are 6 clips altogether.
Posted by: lenny | Dec 11, 2005 3:06:45 AM
Last night I read the story properly, not rushed (thanks once more, Andy).
Oddly, it makes me far less interested in the movie. It is a fine, fine story, and it is so damn real and sad. The Jack and Ennis I see in my head...well, I'm not sure any film will bring a better life to it.
And, as a bonus, I realized what bothered me after reading it quickly: my own story, 'Jack', serving as a preface to a series called 'Ruby Russo', tells a similar tale. Except my Jack is long dead when it begins, and the story is seen from the angry, cheated eyes of Ruby Sr., who married the other boy.
Posted by: Giacomo | Dec 11, 2005 3:54:33 AM
I can only find one place in LA that is showing this film and it was completely sold out today. I actually almost cried because I want to see this film so bad. This limited release thing is ridiculous.
Posted by: Melony | Dec 11, 2005 4:19:17 AM
All the posts about gross, per screen average, limited release, blah, blah, blah.
I guarantee that all those comments were written by someone who lives (or at least, used to live) in L.A. That's not a dig, it's just a fact.
If you live in L.A. long enough, even if you are not in "the industry"...it ultimately becomes impossible to watch a movie strictly for enjoyment. Just by osmosis...you end up knowing way too much about the film, whether it's:
Corporate - (Paramount passed on this three times before whats-his-face came on board)
Personal - (My friend told me that She was such a bitch when they filmed this scene)
Academic - (Look! This scene is sooo "Umbrellas of Cherbourg")
I'm excited to see Bareback Mountain (as my friend called it) but I realize we need to see how it plays in the heartland before claiming a cinematic step on the moon.
Any Towleroad readers from Peoria???
Posted by: Stephen | Dec 11, 2005 4:19:49 AM
BTW...Did anyone see the movie review on Fox News this past Thursday? So lame it was funny. It seems that some old queen with a bad dye job is Fox News' "Entertainment Reporter" (the one who broke the story about Amy Grant posing for Good Housekeeping).
He reviewed Brokeback Mountain, and stressed that the love scenes between the two men were "intense" and "difficult to watch." The anchor (some foxbot) asked him "What's more difficult to watch? The love scenes in Brokeback Mountain? Or the scene in Syriana, where George Clooney had his fingernails ripped out under torture?" The reporter paused for a moment and then said "Syriana"..."Only because you know that George Clooney actually injured himself during the filming."
I think that Fox News has finally turned a corner! Admitting that gay sex is not as painful as having your fingernails pulled off with pliers is a sure sign of acceptance. Mitch, you were right! They like us! They really like us!!!
Posted by: Stephen | Dec 11, 2005 4:34:21 AM
Stephen, was it meant to be a humourous movie review? I couldn't tell whether your tone was serious, sarcastic or if you were exaggerating. In any case, those are some extremely offensive comments.
Posted by: David Michael | Dec 11, 2005 5:16:42 AM
Hello Andy, thanks for constantly giving information about BBM, i am probably able to watch this in January 2006 but eagerly start to make observation since the very beginnings. Anyway, i want to ask to my fellow Americans: How this film affects Americans in general? How the church and republicans (conservative christians generally) react about this film? Do most americans feel ashame that Cowboy-which is American's macho icon with drinking beer and riding Rodeo-now is potrayed to be melancholic and dramatic?
Posted by: Sayed | Dec 11, 2005 5:40:17 AM
Most Americans don't care about this movie and won't be seeing it-for all the gushing about how gorundbreaking it is, it's really preaching to the choir. And conservatives don't seem to be reacting to the movie at all.
Posted by: Charles | Dec 11, 2005 5:52:25 AM