MovieChat Forums > Country Strong (2011) Discussion > Country Strong Flops with 2.6 million Fr...

Country Strong Flops with 2.6 million Friday and 7.5 million weekend.


Inknew this would happen after those awful reviews and alll those empty theaters.

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/

1. True Grit (Paramount) Week 3 [3,124 Theaters]
Friday $4M, Estimated Weekend $13.5M, Estimated Cume $109M

2. Little Fockers (Universal) Week 3 [3,675 Theaters]
Friday $3.6M, Estimated Weekend $13.2M, Estimated Cume $123.5M

3. Season Of The Witch (Relativity) NEW [2,816 Theaters]
Friday $3.6M, Estimated Weekend $9.2M

4. Country Strong (Screen Gems/Sony) Week [1,424 Theaters]
Friday $2.6M, Estimated Weekend $7.5M

5. Tron: Legacy 3D (Disney) Week 4 [3,013 Theaters]
Friday $2.5M, Estimated Weekend $8M, Estimated Cume $146.1M

6. Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Week 6 [1,584 Theaters]
Friday $2.3M, Estimated Weekend $7.5M, Estimated Cume $60.6M

7. The Fighter (Relativity/Paramount) Week 5 [2,528 Theaters]
Friday $2M, Estimated Weekend $6.5M, Estimated Cume $57.3M

8. The King's Speech (The Weinstein Co) Week 7 [758 Theaters]
Friday $1.7M, Estimated Weekend $5.5M, Estimated Cume $32M

9. Yogi Bear 3D (Warner Bros) Week 4 [3,288 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Estimated Weekend $5.2M, Estimated Cume $74M

10. Chronicles Of Narnia 3D (Fox) Week 5 [2,814 Theaters]

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[deleted]

[deleted]

It's playing in less than half of the theaters that True Grit is playing in, so that's really not bad.

Dammit Carol Sue, where is the vodka?!

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[deleted]

[deleted]


"No, it's not.
It's playing in 1424 theaters and has the highest screen average (besides the kings speech)
You need to look over your definition of flop"


1. the weekend is not over
2. it is also one of only two new releases (expansion, actually). All the other films in the top 10 have been in release
so naturally its per screen average will be higher than those that have been in release for several weeks.

aside from that stupid witch film, all of the other films in the top 10 have been in release for between 3 and 7 weeks.

3. and a screen average of roughly $5,000 is merely decent. (if that hols up over saturday and sunday)

4. and screen average has nothing to do with if a film is a flop.

this film has a negative cost of at least $30-35 million (15 million for production, 3 million for prints, another 15 million in advertising) with limited overseas prospects.

opening to 7-7.5 million, would likely mean at most a domestic run of 20 million or less, providing that crowds actually go to see it after the opening weekend with nothing more than average fall off. with poor overseas showings very likely, any hope that this film will have of breaking even will have to come in the ancillary markets (DVD, PPV, TV)

and yes, it is a flop. It has received uniformly bad reviews, and will probably not break even financially.

that, is a flop.

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[deleted]

Um, but the PSA is 1800...?

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"No it's not a flop. If the screen average is 5,000 it's 'decent' as you said. You're contradicting yourself LOL."


no, debbie...i am not contradicting myself...spend a bit more time learning about finance in film and less "LOL"ing and you might learn something

the per screen average has nothing to do with the film's final cost, final gross, or its reviews, now does it? It is merely a barometer for determining attendance per theatre...nothing more.

and yes, a movie that does not break even, and gets uniformly poor reviews, is, in fact, a flop.

$5,000 is in fact, merely decent. not good, not great, not bad, not awful. decent.

and in the end, it means nothing, because the final tally is all that matters in terms of gross

let's try an example...

a film costs 40 million to make, 5 million for prints (roughly 2500 screens) and another 25 million to promote.

that is a 70 million negative cost.

it gets horrible reviews, with 4 out of 5 critics saying it is poor.

the film opens on 2500 screens, with 12.5 million dollars opening weekend.

you might call that "decent"...at $5,000 per screen...and it is. In terms of an attendance number...but not in terms of the overall financial total of the film eventually.

poorly reviewed films, usually drop off quickly at the box office. A "decent" drop off, for certain films in their second week of about 33% is acceptable. If it starts getting higher than that, you are looking at a problem.
as such, a final domestic tally for a film with bad reviews and only decent per screen average, is likely only to end up at most 3 times its opening weekend.

in the case of our fictional film, 37.5 million.

Now, let's say the film is a uniquely american tale, with no big stars, that has little to no appeal overseas.

you have a film that has earned 37.5 million, with no prospects overseas, that already has a negative cost of $70 million...so, considering the studio will only get $20 million of the ticket price back after revenue sharing with the theaters, that means the film has earned them $20 million domestically...with costs of $70 million. A loss of $50 million...then, you have to hope to cover the loss in DVD, PPV and TV...which will not be as high, because the film does not have the clout to earn as much had it been a success.

then of course, there are all those pesky things like taxes, fees, etc. etc.

still think that "decent" $5000 per screen average cannot be part of a flop?

see a film like "Killers" earlier this year.

Awful reviews. $5,539 per screen average on opening weekend...a %49.4 dropoff the following weekend...93 million in worldwide box office, vs $75 million in production costs, another $10 million for prints and another $30 million for advertising, and you have a film with a negative cost of $115 million, that only grossed 93 million at the box office, will then get about 52 million back to the studio (pre tax) for their cut, then the ancillary markets (PPV, DVD, TV)...so, you tell me, if you spent 115 million on something, and only got back 52 million (pre tax) from the theatrical release, would you consider that a flop, or would you consider it "decent", even with the decent per screen average on opening weekend?

I thought so


do a bit more thinking and a bit less giggling, peaches.

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[deleted]



Except marketing did not cost anything near 15 million and the movie cost 12,5 million to make, not 15. Please get your facts straight before starting a topic saying it's a flop based on its box office.

Noone expected it to make 15 mil first weekend so the numbers are in tune with what was expected. and it WILL break even, who are you trying to fool?

Not to mention it's making a lot of money on the soundtrack as well.

5,000 screen average is good for a movie like this. This isn't a tentpole nor an expected money maker. It's a movie that cost little to produce and will end up bringing in it's double.


Oh no? That is amusing.

Maybe you should get your facts straight, genius.

1. I did not start this topic. get that straight.

2. The domestic prints alone cost $3 million.

3. The marketing most certainly cost between 10 million and 15 million.

4. the movie cost *15* million to make, not 12.5, one source claims 12.5, all the others know, like most movies in Hollywood, it is more. when you combine its domestic P&A with its international P&A, the total P&A costs for the film, if it opens internationally in small to medium release, will be between $15 and 20 million total. prints alone for a 1400 screen domestic release, and 1000 international release screens will be approximately $5 million alone. factor in domestic ad campaigns and whatever they do overseas, and you have 10-15 million.

as i said...P&A for this film, will be 15-20 million for this film, provided that they give it a similar rollout internationally (which they may not do...but if they do not, then it will make virtually nothing overseas)

5. I don't care what anyone expected it to make on its opening weekend...tracking was indicating it was coming in at 9 million...now, it looks to be coming 20% below that. so while nobody was expecting 15, they were expecting 9...and are getting around 7.5

6. Why do i need to try and "fool" anyone..especially a fool like you? I have been involved in the intricacies of film finance for the better part of 15 years...if this film does not make 20 million domestically, it will not, in fact, break even.

You do realize that the studios, do *NOT* get to just keep all monies, right? You do realize that the studio only sees half the box office gross return to its coffers, right? You do realize the studio has to pay taxes, right?

7. it is not making a "a lot of money" on the soundtrack, you bimbo.
A. First of all, the artists on the soundtrack receive these things called *ROYALTIES*. Which bites in to the profits, which, on minor soundtracks, are small.
B. the soundtrack was released back on OCTOBER 26th...and it has not performed impressively at all, so stop whining.
the two singles from the film "Country Strong" and "Give in to Me" did not go higher than 35th and 60th on the country charts.

the album's peak position was 73rd on US Billboard 200, 16th on the Country Billboard, and 5th on the soundtrack billboard.

They will be lucky if this soundtrack comes anywhere close to selling 250,000 units...the profits of which, after royalties, would be nominal...roughly $1 million dollars...and of course, those do not all go to the film, since the soundtrack was released by RCA Nashville, not by Screen Gems.

8. 5,000 screen average is not "good" it is merely decent. Whether it is a tentpole or a moneymaker or not, has no relevance...all that matters is that the film either A. Gets good reviews, and/or B. Makes money.

This film has already failed critically and there is not a single guarantee it makes money.

8. A movie that cost "little to produce" and will end up "Bringing in its double"? LOL...i see, so, what you are saying, is, that it is going to make double what it cost?

That is interesting...how are you factoring that?

its *TOTAL* negative cost? which is around 30 million?
its production cost, which is 15 million?
its production cost plus its prints (18 million)?

so, according to you, it will "bring in its double"?
Fine, what is "it's double" to produce? it is 30 million...without all those other pesky costs like prints and advertising, which, of course, do not exist in your world.

so you claim it will be bringing in 30 million...fine, that's your take? Bringing in 30 million at the box office, or will that be the studios take?
because if it only grosses 30 million, the studio only receives about 16-17 million.

expand on that please. I'd really like to hear where you think that $30 million is going to come from, since it is going to be lucky to cross 20 million domestically, and will be released in very small numbers overseas.

so, if the film makes 30, at the box office somehow, worldwide, that still only brings in 16-17 to the studio (pretax of course) which still does not put the film into the black, since its production and print cost alone domestically is 17-18 million.

if it hopes to pull in money overseas, it will have to pay the cost for more prints...if it opens on 1000 overseas screens, that is another $2 million. If it hopes to make more overseas, it will have to advertise, and it will likely not spend nearly as much as it did here...it will still have to spend another $2 million (if they even think it is worth it, considering the dim overseas prospects)

so, before adding in the overseas markets, which you have already claimed will be part of its 30 million "double", the film will still be in the red $10-$12 million, because of its P&A domestically. So, if it wants that overseas money that you have already factored in, they'll have to spend that $4 million i spoke of to publicize it overseas, where neither Country music nor Gwyneth Paltrow combined are even remotely interesting to the populations.

if they even bother to spend that much internationally, they will $14-$16 million in the red when the film hits the ancillary markets in a few months...and, considering how small a film, and how poorly it has been reviewed, it will not be making much in the ancillary markets.

so, if the film does not do much business overseas, there is no chance in hell it does 30 million at the box office overall...since it is going to be lucky to hit 20 here in the USA...

or are you saying this film is going to make 30 million in the USA alone? Now *THAT* would be funny.

The Social Network, which was one of the most highly rated films of the year, only grosses 3.1 times its opening weekend, with amazing reviews.




9. Learn a little something before you start squawking.


this film is poorly reviewed, and will be very lucky to break even when all is said and done.

there is a reason they dumped it at this time of the year.

10. You say its screen average is "good for a film like this".

What type of film is that? a lower budget film with an oscar winner or nominee in it?

hahahaha...laughable.

let's look at other films that *REALLY* have good screen averages at this production cost level this year alone:


----
The King's Speech (15 million production cost) tremendous reviews,high screen averages.)

wk-thtrs--scr/avg
1---4-----$88,863
2---6-----$54,086
3---19----$31,148
4---43----$25,515
5---700---$6,406
6---700---$11,108

domestic box office to date:
----

Black Swan (13 million production cost) tremendous reviews, high screen averages

wk-thtrs--scr/avg
1---18----$80,012
2---90----$36,726
3---959---$8,742
4---1466--$4,267
5---1553--$5,719


domestic box office to date: $47.8 million (through Jan 2)


---


THOSE are examples of good screen averages for a film that size, *ESPECIALLY* in their expansion. They are critically acclaimed as well, unlike this smelly bomb

both of those films saw their screen averages go up in the weekends after their major expansions...that won't be happening with Country Strong.

and country strong only managed averages of $15,226 and $20,753 respectively in its first two weekends...nowhere near the averages of Black Swan and The Kings Speech


11. When a film is universally panned, and it does not break even, it is a *FLOP*. Even if a film turns a profit, even a small one, if it stinks, it is still a flop.

but keep right on praying for this stinker to magically become a hit.

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Alot of people I know really liked it and will tell people they liked it. I personally want to see it again, so I think it will be well liked and make its budget back.

I'm superstitious. Before I start a new movie, I kill a hobo with a hammer-Gwyneth Paltrow

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This film is a massive failure for Screen Gems.

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[deleted]


yes, it is a flop anitaviv.

they will be getting 7.3 million for the weekend, they have a 30 million dollar negative cost, and limited overseas prospects.

so, it has universally bad reviews, will likely not break 20 million domestic, and will perform poorly overseas...

a film that breaks even or loses money and gets bad reviews, is, in fact, a flop.

The Reese Witherspoon movie is not a flop...that is a disaster....but you could at least get the dollars right...it is already at roughly 29 million domestic through this weekend...not "getting 10m so far" whatever the hell that means.


as for CS, it is not doing "fine considering how small it is"...ticket sales were 73% women, and 49% of those were under 30.

It has no appeal to men, and its core audience has already gone out to see it.
No men will go see it next weekend because Green Hornet and The Dilemma are opening, and Black Swan is expanding into another 1000 theaters, drawing away more women and adults from Country Strong.

and yes...it is a flop...regardless of what Reese Witherspoon or anyone else does in another film.

it is a breakeven or less film with dreadful reviews. that is a flop.

people don't make movies to have them get bad reviews *and* not make money at the same time.




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[deleted]

The 7.3 million number came from the studio who put out this crap ass film. They can tell by Sunday how much it will make for the weekend. It has been that way for the last 20 years. Boxoffice numbers always come out on the Sunday and they are very close to the real numbers that come out on a Monday. Nobody expected this movie to make 20+ million this weekend but they did expect atleast Burlesque numbers between 10-12 million. Looks like many people read critics reviews and said no thank you.

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[deleted]

Pretty solid. It also recieved a B over all score, which means that usually people will tell their friends about it, so it may have some legs in terms of Box Office.

Pretty good opening. Heres a link that talks about it.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/true-grit-beating-little-fokkers-frida y/#more-94976

I'm superstitious. Before I start a new movie, I kill a hobo with a hammer-Gwyneth Paltrow

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[deleted]

In all fairness, its playing in less theatres than any other film (except for King's Speech which it beat) on the Top 10. Considering the majority of the feedback I've heard from people has been very positive, Country Strong very well could be a film that climbs the Top 10 thanks to word-of-mouth.

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Horrible. At least Gwenyth got to be drunk all the time and most likely find someone to bang.

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very funny alex and kyle/brooke...

will have legs? climbing the top 10?

LOL.

That is funny...it will likely be out of the Top 10 within 3 weeks.

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[deleted]

I didn't even know it was released yet. We'll see it next week....

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debbiebeleza and her inability to handle simple facts again...who spends her time talking about how beautiful certain actors are here in her brief time on IMDB.

I talk about box office facts...you talk about actors' dreamy looks...sad life.

What, was E! no longer good enough to indulge your gossip and star gazing?

talk about LOL.



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How is it trolling when someone disagrees and are stating the facts? As much as I want to f^ck Garrett Hedlund it doesn't make me blind to the fact that it isn't doing well. The public and critics are not praising it. I only saw it because I think Gwyneth is hot and I want to bite Garrett's nose.

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Simplia, it is a disease of the modern times that when anyone provides facts that run counter to what someone believes, they are immediately called 1 of 2 all encompassing terms that offer a convenient, yet totally irrelevant insult...

A. Troll
B. "Hater"


these are terms used almost exclusively by people who are defending things that are indefensible, against those who feel compelled to point out the deficiencies in said precious thing that the "fan" is defending.

whether it is:
a bad movie (Country Strong)
bad musical "acts" (Willow Smith, Justin Bieber)
stupid personalities (P Diddy, Snooki, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton)

etc. etc.

there will always be some "fan" rushing in to defend the target without actually finding something defensible about said target...since they cannot find a defense against the facts, they reach quickly for the "troll" insult (internet) or "hater" term (all purpose utility defense against any criticism, used any time)

example:

Critic says - "Kim Kardashian is a no-talent, totally uninteresting, useless whore, who is only famous for being peed on by an unknown rapper on video and is representative of the despicably low standards of what constitutes fame these days"

"Fan" says - "You are so mean...you don't know her, you have never met her...she is very talented, very cool, has great fashion sense and alot of fans, and she is releasing a music single too! You are just a hater"

hope this helps.

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