61th Portuguese Box-Office Analysis

Two weeks to come back home. I’m already counting the days after being here for four weeks. And when you work away from home, the return to it just makes it sweeter. We surely give a new meaning to life, but especially to the word Home.
Enough about this mambo-jambo and let’s talk numbers.

We have a new number one. That is always news. But it’s even more bigger news when this first place is a Portuguese movie. Yes, you heard it right. A Portuguese in the top spot. You will, for sure, never heard of the directors or the actors, but I can assure you that this movie is based on a radio show, then a play (some plays actually) and now it is a movie. Always with the same actors, Jose Pedro Gomes e Antonio Feio. Ring a bell? I though so.
But they are there and with a bow above 65000 spectators, the biggest ever for a Portuguese Movie. Well done, and good news for the Portuguese movie “Industry” (there is no industry just some people trying to do movies).
Besides this we also find a new number 2, with an actor comeback to box-office glory in Portugal, one more “indy” top ten, big movie in America, entry and finally a new movie entry at number 20, but a very, very small one.
So let’s get on with the show.

This report concerns the week between 12 to 18 of October.

Legend

Position/Movie
Number of Theaters
Number of Spectators/Week
Average per Theater/Week
Comparison with Last Week’s Number of Spectators
Number of Spectators/Total Run
Week of Release
1. Filme da Treta
35
67868
1939
-
67868
1st Week
2. The Guardian
48
42738
890
-
42738
1st Week
3. Barnyard
44
40234
914
-45%
112801
2nd Week

4. Click
43
31968
743
-46%
91205
2nd Week

5. World Trade Center
49
18414
376
-53%
241958
4th Week

6. The Black Dahlia
21
16153
769
-45%
45392
2nd Week

7. Little Miss Sunshine
11
9446
859
-
9446
1st Week

8. Lady in the Water
16
8424
527
-50%
51130
3rd Week

9. Volver
14
8417
601
-25%
102807
6th Week

10. You, Me and Dupree
25
6761
270
-59%
273777
7th Week

The Champion:

What to say of this surprise. A big opening was expected, for sure, considering the openers of the week and considering the success the series had here in Portugal. Of course nothing could prepares us for the biggest opening, ever, for a Portuguese movie (since ICAM started releasing the box-office of Portugal in 2002) with 67868 spectators on 35 theaters (also the highest number of copies for a Portuguese movie) with an almost 2000 average, one of the best of the year, and this considering all movies that opened in Portugal. Good news for independent filmmaking in Portugal since this is a totally private operation and in here, the State supports culture and especially cinema with money. So this could be the start of people trying to bet they’re money on movies. They could, actually, give profit. I hope it starts the revolution we, almost, all want for the Portuguese cinema. The name of the revolution is “Filme da Treta”.

The New Players:

“The Guardian”, in number 2 marks the return of Kevin Costner, to a decent opening, here in Portugal. His last one had been with “Dances with Wolves”. I think I’ve said enough. It made 42738 spectators, nothing very good but above 30000 it’s already good here, considering the type of film, not blockbuster-themed. An average of 890 makes this a good comeback. Ohhh, I forgot. The other actor is that Ashton Kutcher. Big in the U.S, completely unknown here. And he’s acting is sure not helping (although I have to admit this is his best performance ever, and that’s saying much).

The independent film of the year. Have you guessed which one it is? It’s “Little Miss Sunshine”. Ready to take on the Oscars after it made big, first, in the Sundance Film Festival. 9446 spectators here. Nothing very good, since the marketing was practically zero here. And personally that Contest of Beauty is pretty creepy indeed. That actually happens there? Sick…I liked the film, although it only lives when Grandpa is on scene. Is character is the bread and soul of the movie. Alan Arkin is big in my book. Even bigger then he was before. The film never gets on solid ground, the time he leaves the scene.

The final entry is a disappointment, at number with 1487 spectators for a 372 average per theater/week. It’s “End Game”. A small film, gets small treatment here. The movies that don’t open in multiplexes, hardly ever pass the 5000 for an opening.. Malls=Movies in Portugal, so this didn’t stand a chance.

The Winner of Week:

All has been said of this week winner of the week. A Portuguese movie, in number one, with the biggest average of the week!!!! In this case only this words make this a big milestone in our cinema. It may not be the best of films but at least people went see it at the movies, instead of staying home waiting for a DVD pirated copy. And since, hardly ever any Portuguese movie enters the pirate circuit, you really have to see it in theaters. And the name is "Filme da Treta".

The Looser of the Week:

It clinched to the top ten but still won the title for the looser of the week. In it’s 7th Week, and on a impressive run, the –59% decrease in spectators to 6761 just made it the worst run of this week top ten. What goes up, must go down one time right. This was “You, Me and Dupree” time.

See you in the next box-office report of Portugal.

Good Night and Good Films.