The Wasilla Wolf Killa bombs at the box office; special edition DVD headed to Wal-Mart

[marmar]

from the Moviefone blog:



Does it matter that, in its second weekend in theaters, the Sarah Palin documentary 'The Undefeated' slumped nearly two-thirds in sales, despite increasing its theater count by 40 percent? Or that it's earned just $101,000 in theaters to date? Apparently not, as distributor Arc Entertainment has announced that pay-per-view and DVD deals are already in place. According to The Wrap, some cable viewers will be able to stream the movie on Sept. 1 (less than seven weeks after its July 15 theatrical debut), while the film will be available on DVD on Oct. 4, less than three months after its big-screen premiere.

Critics of the film (who had complained about its aesthetic merits as a documentary, not just about its unapologetically one-sided portrait of the polarizing politician) will be able to point to the movie's box office numbers as if to say, "We told you so," while supporters of the movie (and of Palin) will point to its more successful opening weekend and the new ancillary deals as evidence that America is clamoring to see this positive portrayal of Palin. In other words, both sides of the aisle will be able to claim victory while Arc quietly pockets the cash from deals that likely were in place well before this weekend's box office debacle. Everybody wins.

'The Undefeated' debuted in 10 theaters last weekend with ticket sales of $65,132. That's not bad for an independently produced documentary with no advertising that opened on the same weekend as the year's most anticipated blockbuster ('Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2'). The per-screen average of $6,513 suggested that there was untapped demand for the movie that a wider release would profit from. This past weekend, however, it expanded to 14 theaters, yet according to Box Office Mojo it earned just $24,000. That's a decline of 63 percent in weekend sales, and a decline of 74 percent (to $1,714) in per-screen average. (With ticket prices in the U.S. averaging about $8, that means 'Undefeated' played to about 71 people a day this weekend at each theater.)

....(snip)....

According to The Wrap, Arc announced on Sunday -- even as 'Undefeated' was playing to under-populated auditoriums -- that the movie's PPV and DVD deals were set. Subscribers to DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable will be able to watch the movie on pay-per-view starting Sept. 1. On Oct. 4, the DVD will ship 250,000 units, including some "special edition" DVDs with extra footage that will be sold only at Wal-Mart stores. ............(more)

The ccmplete piece is at: http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/07/25/sarah-palin-undefeated-box-office/

[arcane1]

1. Now NewsMax can buy the DVDs in bulk and give them away n/t

[Cirque du So-What]

3. ...and claim 'phenomenal' sales figures! N/T

[HopeHoops]

2. I bet she got a sweet deal from a DVD sweatshop in China for that one.