Movie box office for late summer and fall has not been kind to small, indie movies, that kind that need adults over the age of 30.
DOA, it seems, is “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” which has made $853K in the last week at 450 theaters. Searchlight/Disney may increase the number of venues this weekend, but the party is over. Despite good reviews for star Jessica Chastain, the audience wasn’t interested.
But “Tammy Faye” wasn’t alone. Unless the film was a blockbuster sort of non film like Fast & Furious 9, or a Marvel movie like “Shang Chi,” the people who needed to come spend the bucks didn’t turn out for anything.
They weren’t motivated to see Sean Penn direct his daughter, Dylan, in “Flag Day.” The response to “Respect,” with Jennifer Hudson was $24 million all in on a $55 million film.
Focus Features has been particularly brave, releasing “Blue Bayou” and “The Card Counter” into a box office abyss. In the old days, those movies would have made lives in indie theaters and art houses. But their potential audiences have gotten used to watching Netflix, et al and not leaving the house. The result is minimal box office receipts.
So what will bring humans back to the theaters? MGM is hoping that the James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” will do the trick. They’ve sold a smattering of advanced tickets, waiting for reviews to break next week when the movie opens in London to kickstart a frenzy. You have to see a James Bond movie on a big screen. It’s no time to stay home!
