The Greatest Showman#650 - great success

"Crazy Love" made a huge splash at the Toronto Film Festival, igniting a wave of praise and excitement. Its official magazine score quickly surpassed that of Moneyball and Presidential Killing, temporarily trailing behind One Time Separation. The film received widespread acclaim from media outlets and professional critics, leading to twelve additional screenings, all of which sold out quickly, with long queues outside the venues, showing the film's high demand.

Renly Hall and Ryan Gosling attended a screening of the documentary Twenty Years of Pearl Jam. After being recognized by fans, they were inundated with requests for photos and autographs. Despite walking just 200 meters from the screening room to the cinema gate, they were unable to exit for 45 minutes due to the overwhelming crowd. Ultimately, they had to refuse additional requests and hurriedly made their way out—a successful escape from the frenzy.

From critics to audiences to reporters, Crazy Love was in high demand. In the latest Toronto Film Festival audience survey, Renly emerged as the most popular actor, receiving a staggering 85% of the female vote. The romantic film's success among female audiences far outshone Ryan's Blue Valentine from the previous year.

Amidst the cheers and excitement, Crazy Love became a strong contender for the People's Choice Award. However, when the awards were announced at the end of the festival, there was an upset: the Lebanese film Where Do We Go took home the prize, building momentum for an Oscar bid. A Farewell, which had won the Berlin Film Festival earlier that year, placed second, while Crazy Love, which had generated considerable buzz since its premiere at Sundance, came in third.

While Crazy Love and A Farewell didn't win the People's Choice Award, both films are expected to have significant performances in the upcoming awards season.

After returning from Toronto, Crazy Love quickly made its way to North American theaters, debuting on October 7 with screenings in four theaters. The most anticipated film of the week was Iron Fist, starring Hugh Jackman. With an investment of $110 million, Iron Fist was highly competitive, even in the summer season. Yet, its release in the fall—a traditionally quiet period for films—indicated Disney's lack of confidence, despite trying to capture more market share in the off-season.

Despite this, Crazy Love and Pilgrimage Road stood out among the limited releases in October. Notably, Returner from Hell, a documentary from last year's Sundance, finally got a screening opportunity this week, demonstrating the uphill battle faced by independent films like Crazy Love.

In stark contrast to Iron Fist, which suffered from weak critical reception and a disappointing opening weekend box office of $27 million, Crazy Love continued to shine. The film's media reception was stellar, with 38 outlets giving it a composite rating of 81, with only one negative review and seven neutral ones. It surpassed Renly's previous films like Buried Alive and Fast & Furious 5, marking a significant career achievement for him.

To put the film's success into perspective, Crazy Love's media score of 81 beats Titanic (74), The Notebook (53), and Ghost Love (52), and even matches the score of Blue Valentine. On Rotten Tomatoes, the freshness score was an impressive 88%, with an IMDb score of 7.8, from a smaller sample size. These numbers indicate strong audience approval and anticipation for the film.

From a commercial standpoint, Crazy Love also performed exceedingly well. With a box office of $52,000 per theater, it outperformed Buried Alive and Blue Valentine, setting a new standard for independent films. This is remarkable for a movie with a production budget under a million dollars. Focus Pictures has yet to launch a full awards campaign, but the film's success so far is already monumental.

In terms of rankings, Crazy Love became the second-highest grossing romantic drama in history, just behind Brokeback Mountain with $109,000 per theater. It surpassed A Room with a View, Blue Valentine, The English Patient, and The Years of Burning Love in single-theater earnings.

After such remarkable results, it's no surprise that Crazy Love has garnered increasing attention. With its expansion to 2,337 theaters, it marks a departure from the typical gradual release pattern of art films, embracing a commercial model that could prove even more successful.