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UPDATED October 31st: WHIP IT BOX OFFICE RESULTS
***UPDATE FROM DAVID SAMS***
Updated on October 31, 2009:
Domestic Total for WHIP IT as of Oct. 29, 2009: $12,414,703. The film's production budget was $15,000,000. With prints and advertising figured in, the total cost to make and distribute this film was most likely around $30,000,000. Additional revenues will come from foreign sales and DVD rentals/sales. However, the theatrical box-office results are not favorable.
Previous Postings:
The box-office numbers are now in--through October 18th. WHIP IT has grossed just over 11.3 million dollars at the box office. The film may make back its 15 million dollar budget if it can remain in theaters for another couple of weeks. Unfortunately, with prints and advertising most-likely weighing in at an additional 15 million dollars, the movie will not make back its costs from its theatrical run. This, of course, does not take into consideration foreign ticket or DVD sales. I don't know how sales of this coming-of-age female empowerment flick will do overseas, but DVD sales should be brisk. Let's wish Drew much success.
Previous Post:
As of Wednesday, WHIP IT has grossed $5,645,888. The movie needs to pick up speed this weekend. Hopefully positive word-of-mouth will help fill seats. Otherwise, you may have to catch it when it comes out on DVD. Let's wish Drew Barrymore good luck this coming weekend.
Previously Posted on Monday:
WHIP IT did just under $5,000,000 in box-office receipts over the weekend. According to press reports, the studio was banking on $8,000,000 over the film's initial weekend release. On the plus side, the majority of filmgoers gave WHIP IT a great "A" rating. This should deliver good word-of-mouth.
The derby community cannot blame the lack of PR or marketing here. That's simply a cop out. Drew has done a fantastic job promoting this film. In addition, the film has had a nice paid marketing budget. Nor can the derby community all-of-a-sudden take the position that the film has little or nothing to do with roller derby. That, too, is a cop out. If the film would have raked in $20,000,000 in its first weekend, I suppose everyone would have jumped on the derby bandwagon.
I've been in Drew's position before. Producing a film or TV project is like delivering a baby. You put your heart and soul into it. Drew certainly has done that with this film. Generally speaking, it has received nice reviews. Even the audience that has seen it has given it high marks, according to press accounts.
Give Drew credit. Give the film an opportunity to grow in popularity. If, because of strong word-of-mouth, the film picks up speed this week, then theaters will stick with it (as long as they are selling lots of popcorn). Otherwise, the film will make its money back when released on DVD.
As for the future of roller derby, stay tuned. The marketplace has to be developed on a massive scale. It would have been better for the movie to have come out after derby has had high exposure on Television. More to come.
Remember, play fair in your comments. Drew has put her heart and soul into this project. Don't be a Monday morning quarterback--be supportive! If anything, offer constructive criticism that we all can learn and grow from.
That's my two-cents worth from Hollywood.
drs
Previously posted on Sunday, October 4th:
WHIP IT will gross $4,850,000, or $2,820 per screen, according to studio estimates for its first weekend in distribution. The film, directed by Drew Barrymore, cost just $15,000,000 to make. Business picked up considerably on Saturday night vs. its somewhat slow opening on Friday evening, when it averaged just $922 per screen. The key to the success of this movie will depend on strong word-of-mouth.
Previously Posted on Saturday night, October 3:
According to BoxOfficeMojo, WHIP IT grossed an estimated 1.6 million dollars at the box office on Friday, about $922 per screen (#6 overall). Zombieland was #1, grossing about 9.4 million dollars--or just over $3,000 per screen.
WHIP IT is showing on 1,720 screens.
Updated on October 31, 2009:
Domestic Total for WHIP IT as of Oct. 29, 2009: $12,414,703. The film's production budget was $15,000,000. With prints and advertising figured in, the total cost to make and distribute this film was most likely around $30,000,000. Additional revenues will come from foreign sales and DVD rentals/sales. However, the theatrical box-office results are not favorable.
Previous Postings:
The box-office numbers are now in--through October 18th. WHIP IT has grossed just over 11.3 million dollars at the box office. The film may make back its 15 million dollar budget if it can remain in theaters for another couple of weeks. Unfortunately, with prints and advertising most-likely weighing in at an additional 15 million dollars, the movie will not make back its costs from its theatrical run. This, of course, does not take into consideration foreign ticket or DVD sales. I don't know how sales of this coming-of-age female empowerment flick will do overseas, but DVD sales should be brisk. Let's wish Drew much success.
Previous Post:
As of Wednesday, WHIP IT has grossed $5,645,888. The movie needs to pick up speed this weekend. Hopefully positive word-of-mouth will help fill seats. Otherwise, you may have to catch it when it comes out on DVD. Let's wish Drew Barrymore good luck this coming weekend.
Previously Posted on Monday:
WHIP IT did just under $5,000,000 in box-office receipts over the weekend. According to press reports, the studio was banking on $8,000,000 over the film's initial weekend release. On the plus side, the majority of filmgoers gave WHIP IT a great "A" rating. This should deliver good word-of-mouth.
The derby community cannot blame the lack of PR or marketing here. That's simply a cop out. Drew has done a fantastic job promoting this film. In addition, the film has had a nice paid marketing budget. Nor can the derby community all-of-a-sudden take the position that the film has little or nothing to do with roller derby. That, too, is a cop out. If the film would have raked in $20,000,000 in its first weekend, I suppose everyone would have jumped on the derby bandwagon.
I've been in Drew's position before. Producing a film or TV project is like delivering a baby. You put your heart and soul into it. Drew certainly has done that with this film. Generally speaking, it has received nice reviews. Even the audience that has seen it has given it high marks, according to press accounts.
Give Drew credit. Give the film an opportunity to grow in popularity. If, because of strong word-of-mouth, the film picks up speed this week, then theaters will stick with it (as long as they are selling lots of popcorn). Otherwise, the film will make its money back when released on DVD.
As for the future of roller derby, stay tuned. The marketplace has to be developed on a massive scale. It would have been better for the movie to have come out after derby has had high exposure on Television. More to come.
Remember, play fair in your comments. Drew has put her heart and soul into this project. Don't be a Monday morning quarterback--be supportive! If anything, offer constructive criticism that we all can learn and grow from.
That's my two-cents worth from Hollywood.
drs
Previously posted on Sunday, October 4th:
WHIP IT will gross $4,850,000, or $2,820 per screen, according to studio estimates for its first weekend in distribution. The film, directed by Drew Barrymore, cost just $15,000,000 to make. Business picked up considerably on Saturday night vs. its somewhat slow opening on Friday evening, when it averaged just $922 per screen. The key to the success of this movie will depend on strong word-of-mouth.
Previously Posted on Saturday night, October 3:
According to BoxOfficeMojo, WHIP IT grossed an estimated 1.6 million dollars at the box office on Friday, about $922 per screen (#6 overall). Zombieland was #1, grossing about 9.4 million dollars--or just over $3,000 per screen.
WHIP IT is showing on 1,720 screens.
Tags: barrymore, box-office, drew, gross, hollywood, it, movies, whip, whipit
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tom on -
The $922 per screen average is INCREDIBLY low for a 1st week run movie. The box office difference between Zombieland and Whip It are probably true as yahoo has 1091 people rating the former to only 197 for the latter(about a 5 and half times more). If the figures hold up, this will be considered a colossul failure
I guess it's fair to say that roller derby has lost it's appeal with the mass public. The 10 mill people that tuned in every week in the early 70's are gone. And the 3.5 from the 1989 RNR games have also moved on as well, and who knows where the 600K rollerjam fans are? While the rollegirl version will never make to TV, the Old School has just died a somber death.
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Permalink Reply by Blair D Scott Sr on -
I have not seen the movie and don't want to,I am a big fan of Roller Games and Roller Derby.It seems like the sport is more about girls and sex.I enjoyed watching the women and men skate.It would be nice if the game return the way it was.I am in Maryland I was a big fan of the Philly Warriors and Baltimore Cats.I never missed a game on tv or in person.When the game stopped in the late 70's I was hurt.Early in the year I found Judy Arnold online Thank God,She mailed me a DVD of two games with Warriors vs TBirds and Warriors vs Braves I love watching them.Bring back the game the way it was maybe people like me who is from the old school will be supportive of the gaame.Take out the SEX and just the girls put on a Roller Derby uniforms skate like Lil Richard ,Judy Arnold,Buddy Atkiunson,Sonja Simms, Judy Sowinski,and the skaters from the 70's.I miss the game would love to see it come back BUT like it was.
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Permalink Reply by Zach on -
Well I went to see Whip It. I was amazed to see all ther older folks out there watching it. I think we have to get back to the old school derby to bring in the fans again. I think the flat track is doing ok.. but we have to get back to the older ways. Get the real excitement in there. Hard hitting, fights, if we could get more bank tracks, ect. I think that will bring more people in. Just my opinion.
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Permalink Reply by Grand Poobah on -
The problem with banked track derby is that the cost structure tends not to work out.
There's only five functioning legit banked track derby leagues. There might be two or three more by year's end, with perhaps one of the existing ones selling its track?
Dan's ARSD don't have a full-time training/practice facility. The legit BT leagues at least have that. Interleague bouts are fewer and farther between, they have enough money sinks in the track and the dedicated full-time practice space, the truck to haul it around in, the time renting the venue before after the event to set it up and tear it down.
I'm not opposed to banked track derby, I have a number of friends who do it. But there's realities you have to recognize that make it a very difficult thing to do successfully.
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Permalink Reply by Sinn Dixie on -
I agree Poobah. I'm a retired flat track skater and we bounced around the idea of doing banked track a while back. The issue is not popularity - it's $$. It takes big bucks to build a track and have a place to store it.
I wish there were more banked track leagues but with the structure of "skater owned and operated" it is a difficult thing to do.
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Permalink Reply by DJ of Destruction. on -
Wow, thats not good, and Zombieland is only boosted because its October, a good month to release horror movies. Whip it, the trailers don't really properly hype the movie. Kansas City Bomber did a greater job of hyping the main rivalry of Kc Carr and Jackie. Ellen or Drew Eve or the other stars, didnt show up much to promote the movie on talk shows. I think it was more promotional that from less interest. Don't count roller derby out due to a movie failure. It could do great on DVD.
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Permalink Reply by Tom on
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I do remember KC Bomber was the #1 movie in it's opening week. Whip It turned out to be a box office dud. I agree, Whip It's trailer was terrible. It ended with these coach's memoriable words "Were celebrating mediocrity". Perhaps those words stuck into the minds of viewers trying to decide to watch the movie or not? and what does it say about the rollergirls version?
Whats surprising is the WFTDA promised their best efforts to get out their skaters & fans to go watch this film(whole teams were suppose to go together in dressed in their uniforms to the theater), despite that, the core of the audience that actually went to the film were older people trying to see if this film can relive the 'Magic' that roller derby was back in the early 70's.
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Permalink Reply by Grand Poobah on
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They might have done better keeping the premiere on the original 10/9 date. They wound up against the zombie movie (an even bigger phenomenon) after they'd already settled on that date. It had something to do with the studio not wanting it competing for screens and viewers with another of their own films.
Leagues did make appearances in theaters on skates. In some places the theaters they'd arrange to appear in got the move pulled out as they apparently reduced the number of screens it was showing on.
In some places the calls and emails came a day or two before the sneak previews.
I'm not sure what kind of marketing budget the film had. Drew did a good job of getting on a lot of TV talk shows. The few TV ads for the film seemed to be very strategically placed (on Gossip Girl).
Even if it turns out to be a box office bomb, it spreads awareness of the sport and grows it and the audience. You may recall a certain reality show about a league you used to be a big fan of that got canceled while it was still airing due to low ratings. I seem to recall the number of leagues in the country doubling after it was on.
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Permalink Reply by Busta Armov on -
The theater I saw it in had it playing at the very back, unseen from the main movies. I think it's small audience may have been a foregone conclusion by the theater operators in their planning stage, having seen too little in advance, with any publicity coming late toward the opening. There may be an attribute of it being a self fulfilling prophesy.
There was also a certain reliance on word of mouth, and that reliance can't manifest itself on opening weekend, wishful thinking aside. It seems that people who saw the movie liked it, and tell their friends about it, so the movie might have long legs or develop a strong word of mouth build like "Dirty Dancing" did. But regardless, it's a "chick flick" aimed toward younger audiences, and that's going to be a hard sell.
While it's viewed as a failure in box office terms, the budget of the movie reflected small expected returns. It doesn't have to make that much money at the box office to turn a profit. The limited appeal of the movie isn't due to the roller derby part, it's due to the fact that it's a small film that's really about a young girl finding herself and working out issues in her family. It's almost like a European film.
I also found that the roller derby action scenes really didn't reflect the skill of the "extras" playing in the game. If they'd been willing to let the skaters skate jams as they would with their own leagues, and done traditional intercutting, the action would have been better. That they just had to have actors playing their own stunts, weakened the action they would allow in the game, because the actors would really have gotten hurt. The real Iron Maiven (she played the smaller of the "Manson Sisters") sustained a serious knee injury in a game this past weekend that might put her out of commission for the rest of the season. To see the real Iron Maiven, Krissy Krash and Jackie Daniels play in a real game has a level of excitement you just didn't see in the movie. And I've seen Detroit play on webcasts, and again, the filmed action didn't live up to the games I've seen. It was almost as if the top priority in the action scenes was "don't hurt the actors or get in their way".
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Permalink Reply by Jersey Joe on -
After I saw the promos for this film my first reaction was it would go to DVD rather quickly. That is where it'll make more money. The budget was very low anyway, so it should only take a month at the theaters to turn a small profit.
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Permalink Reply by DavidSams on -
A film with a $15 million budget usually has to make at least $30,000,000 to make a profit due to P&A (prints and advertising). If the film does not fall off dramatically this weekend, it should do ok once you factor in DVD sales. However, I don't know how much of a market the film will have in the foreign territories due to its subject matter. Nevertheless, make no mistake about it, it is to the benefit of the entire derby community that this film exceeds break-even. TV Network execs will certainly take the box-office of WHIP IT into consideration before considering a derby-related show on a major network--whether cable or broadcast. That's just the way the business works--like it or not.
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Permalink Reply by Tom on
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Most of the entertainment news agency's have called Whip It a makor box office disapointment. Analysts were predicted a $9 mill weekened, so only getting half of that means it went DOA.
But look how the film Dodgeball was a monster hit. Yet it did relatively nothing to make an obscure sport(at least with adults) more popular. I'm just worried thats whats going to happen to roller derby without TV
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