Barry_Green
Moderator
There's an old adage in the film business that says "Nobody knows anything". Seems especially appropriate in this day and age, when a little French documentary about penguins is grossing more, per theater, than mega-budget blockbusters like Fantastic Four and War of the Worlds!
Here's a blip from IMDB's "Studio Briefing":
'Penguins' French Director Surprised Over Film's U.S. Success
Luc Jacquet, the director of the documentary March of the Penguins, has expressed surprise over the striking success of the film in U.S. art houses since it opened three weeks ago. For the past two weeks, the film has earned more on a per-theater basis than the two blockbuster hits, War of the Worlds and Fantastic Four. It is expected to expand to about 150 theaters today (Friday) and to about 500 theaters by next week. In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Jacquet said, "Although the film opened well in Europe, I'm surprised. ... People are liking the film, and I know how difficult it is for a French production to cross over into American theaters." He said that aside from having to film the movie in below-zero weather in the Antarctic, he and his crew also had to complete the film in six months or else they would run out of money. "It's not the kind of movie that you can pitch on paper," he said. "You can't just tell someone, 'OK, I'm going to make a film about penguins, and it's compelling, etc.' It has to be seen. The film, in order to survive and find an audience, had to be shown to get the finishing funds."
Here's a blip from IMDB's "Studio Briefing":
'Penguins' French Director Surprised Over Film's U.S. Success
Luc Jacquet, the director of the documentary March of the Penguins, has expressed surprise over the striking success of the film in U.S. art houses since it opened three weeks ago. For the past two weeks, the film has earned more on a per-theater basis than the two blockbuster hits, War of the Worlds and Fantastic Four. It is expected to expand to about 150 theaters today (Friday) and to about 500 theaters by next week. In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Jacquet said, "Although the film opened well in Europe, I'm surprised. ... People are liking the film, and I know how difficult it is for a French production to cross over into American theaters." He said that aside from having to film the movie in below-zero weather in the Antarctic, he and his crew also had to complete the film in six months or else they would run out of money. "It's not the kind of movie that you can pitch on paper," he said. "You can't just tell someone, 'OK, I'm going to make a film about penguins, and it's compelling, etc.' It has to be seen. The film, in order to survive and find an audience, had to be shown to get the finishing funds."
