Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 283: Box-Office Hit

With 53 theaters, a single-theater box office of $41,100, and a three-day weekend box office of $2.18 million, Renly has made it into the top ten of the weekend box office charts, currently ranking ninth.

'Buried' has delivered a perfect answer in terms of box office data!

Considering that this is the third week of its limited release, the single-theater box office data is still so strong, maintaining a steady $40,000 level for three consecutive weeks, reminiscent of the 'Blair Witch' phenomenon.

Despite the challenge posed by '127 Hours,' 'Buried' has demonstrated an exceptionally strong appeal, receiving enthusiastic support from professional audiences in five major cities, especially in New York and Los Angeles, two cities known for their tough artistic standards. That 'Buried' can still perform so well is truly remarkable.

Considering the impact of three commercial films on the market, 'Buried' managed to achieve a weekend box office of $2 million over three days, securing a spot in the top ten of the North American weekend box office chart for the first week of November with just 53 theaters. It's close behind 'The Social Network,' now in its sixth week of release, which is indeed impressive.

Although in terms of critical reception, 'Buried' lags far behind '127 Hours,' the immense commercial potential it has displayed is enough to prove the excellence of this work. Currently, after three weeks in theaters, the cumulative box office has reached $4.5 million. For Focus Features, the investment made at Toronto has already paid off, and the next phase is pure profit—a very encouraging prospect.

Therefore, it is too early to conclude that 'Buried' will fall behind '127 Hours' in the awards season competition.

These two films are bound to engage in fierce competition in the upcoming awards season: both are survival stories featuring a male lead in a solo performance, with Fox Searchlight and Focus Features pitted against each other. As this long contest unfolds, who will have the last laugh is sure to be a thrilling spectacle. However, for now, Focus Features has placed more emphasis on expanding the release of 'Buried'—

This expansion is not just about box office revenue but also about strategic positioning for awards season, the importance of which cannot be overstated.

In the second week of November, Focus Features finally began the journey of expanding the release, increasing the number of theaters to 141 in one go, with releases in almost all major cities. After two weeks of positive word-of-mouth and extensive online promotion via IMDB, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, 'Buried' experienced an explosive box office surge.

The per-theater average remained high at $19,586, and the weekend three-day gross was a staggering $2.76 million!

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During the limited release, 'Buried' consistently saw its box office climb for four consecutive weeks, making an unstoppable march forward in the market. Although the viewing frenzy in Los Angeles and New York has gradually subsided, the strong enthusiasm in other cities successfully pushed 'Buried' to seventh place on the North American weekend box office chart.

It's worth mentioning that this weekend, 'Buried' surpassed 'Saw 3D' in box office performance, trailing 'Paranormal Activity 2' by less than $100,000. In this year's Halloween box office competition, while 'Paranormal Activity 2' initially took the lead, the biggest winner turned out to be 'Buried.'

This has led to widespread media coverage, with numerous news outlets marveling at the strong performance of 'Buried.' Despite its inherent disadvantages, it held its own in direct competition with 'Saw 3D' and 'Paranormal Activity 2,' securing a place in the annual 'Horror Showdown' with pride!

Now, 'Buried' is not only making waves in print media but has also caught the attention of television.

On the widely popular 'The Ellen Show,' host Ellen DeGeneres opened a recent episode by saying, 'Last weekend, Portia watched a movie with some friends, had a nightmare about it that night, and was terrified. For the next few days, she kept talking about the movie's male lead, and I almost thought she had fallen in love with him.'

Portia de Rossi, Ellen's wife, is part of a legally married same-sex couple. Last year, they were even voted the most influential couple in America, beating out Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Hearing Ellen's joke, the audience burst into laughter, which made her smile broadly as well. 'That made me really curious. Last night, I finally had a chance to watch the movie. Phew, now I understand how Portia felt. I refused to go into the bathroom this morning; I had Portia bring out my toothbrush, and I brushed my teeth in the living room. Yes, that movie reawakened my claustrophobia.'

Once again, the audience erupted in laughter, and Ellen innocently spread her hands, 'Since the movie refused my invitation to come on the show, I won't mention its name here. Unless that handsome male lead is willing to come on my show.'

While saying this, Ellen lay down on the sofa with her hands on her chest, making a terrified expression, with a mock poster she created of herself in the background—a parody of the official 'Buried' poster. The implication was all too clear.

As one of the most popular talk shows, 'The Ellen Show' naturally carries significant influence. Moreover, 'Saturday Night Live,' NBC's long-running sketch comedy show, also took a shot at 'Buried' in a skit.

In the skit, Andy Samberg played the role of Renly, trapped in a cardboard box.

Andy did his best to be funny, mimicking many scenes from the movie, especially the one where a rattlesnake enters, crying to the point of tears and snot, only to transform into the Hulk, tearing apart the box. It was then revealed that he wasn't buried alive but placed in a coffin at the front of a church, with all the guests looking at him like he was an idiot. Andy then awkwardly bowed, apologized, and left the stage.

This parody short was highly praised and caused a stir online, being regarded as one of the highest-quality skits since the new season began.

The TV show parodies and mentions undoubtedly serve as the highest affirmation for 'Buried.' This once obscure independent film has now broken through its limitations to become one of the hottest topics of the moment.

Behind this lies the emerging public relations prowess of Focus Features.

A film that generates such a buzz during its limited release is truly extraordinary. From its debut at Toronto and Telluride to the midnight show buzz driven by the 'Renly Hall' effect, to the group appearance of the 'Fast & Furious 5' cast, the comparison with 'Paranormal Activity 2,' not to mention the boost from '127 Hours,' and finally, the quality of the film itself, all these factors have contributed to the red-hot status of 'Buried' today!

Four consecutive weekends of box office growth, three consecutive weekends of achieving a per-theater average of $40,000, and four consecutive weeks of rising buzz on social media and IMDB. 'Buried' has indeed created its own legend, a Hollywood myth that every independent film dreams of.

But the journey of 'Buried' is far from over. Subsequently, Focus Features steadily continued to expand the release.

In the third week of November, the film was shown in 324 theaters; in the fourth week of November, it expanded to 453 theaters... Step by step, by the third week of December, it had reached the level of a wide release, showing in 716 theaters—just barely reaching the minimum standard for a wide release, but undoubtedly the highest recognition for 'Buried.'

As of the second week of December, during its eight weeks of release, 'Buried' had stayed in the top ten of the weekend box office chart for five consecutive weeks. For a film that hadn't yet reached wide release, such outstanding box office performance drew gasps from the entire industry, with the cumulative box office smashing through the $18 million mark!

It's now almost certain that $20 million is within reach! With industry expectations for 'Buried' adjusted to $40 million, if the film makes a splash during awards season, reaching $50 million isn't out of the question—especially considering that Focus Features has barely spent on marketing, making this achievement even more remarkable.

Because of this, Focus Features has steadily and methodically expanded the release of 'Buried.' It's clear that box office revenue has now taken a back seat, and the awards season strategy has become crucial—awards season is long, running from December through March, and with nearly three months before Oscar voting closes, staying in front of voters is essential.

The experienced team at Focus Features, with its rich experience and accurate positioning, is now showing its prowess. If 'Buried' had ended up with Lionsgate at the Toronto Film Festival, the situation would be different—

At the very least, Lionsgate wouldn't have sacrificed 'Saw 3D' to push 'Buried,' and if the release date had been changed, could 'Buried' have achieved such success?

That's a question no one can answer, and no one cares. Because 'Buried' is now in the hands of Focus Features, which is steadily marching forward in the awards season.

In the fourth week of January, after the Golden Globe Awards ceremony ended and the Oscar nominations were announced, 'Buried' reached its peak expansion, showing in a whopping 1,200 theaters! This was the first time 'Buried' had broken through the 1,000-theater mark, and the film's box office performance didn't disappoint either, with another $2.5 million over the weekend, re-entering the top ten of the North American weekend box office chart.

And this was in the fifteenth week of its release. Its outstanding performance is beyond words.