Chapter 23: Box Office Breakout
[Chapter 23: Box Office Breakout]
Buried premiered in 28 theaters under the United Artists chain for a week and grossed $1.588 million. This figure placed it eighth among the box office rankings for films released around the same time, successfully overtaking Chaplin, which had been playing for two weeks, and quickly becoming a surprising box office success.
Currently, Buried's total earnings reached $2.16 million, a staggering 108 times its production cost. Following the announcement of this data by United Artists, various media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, Variety, and the New York Post, reported on Buried's success. They praised the film's high quality and noted that it garnered strong support from film enthusiasts.
They also highlighted Link's talent, mentioning how he wore many hats and did remarkably well in each role as a 'rising star' among the new generation of young directors. In its film review section, Variety referred to Buried as one of the "gems" of that year's Sundance Film Festival, lamenting its lack of awards as a missed opportunity for the festival.
The New York Post analyzed Buried from an artistic perspective, arguing that its quality and artistry were on par with winning films like Reservoir Dogs and In the Soup. Influenced by this wave of media attention, Link's reputation began to rise in Hollywood.
---
"Link, you were right; your movie really did increase theater attendance," Jerome Preston exclaimed over the phone.
"Jerome, I told you, I'm an honest person; I wouldn't lie about that," Link replied.
"Okay, I'll admit it -- I underestimated Buried's potential. I apologize for that," Jerome said.
"It's alright; Buried's success is largely thanks to your support," Link reassured him.
"Ha! I can't take all the credit; you pushed Buried into the theaters without a second thought. At the time, William and I thought you were crazy. Now these box office numbers prove you were right. Buried has serious potential."
"I just wanted to take a gamble, and it looks like I won," Link said.
"Yes, congratulations!"
---
After getting off the phone, Link walked into the Chicago-United Theater to watch Buried during its promotional screening there.
By the second week, owing to its impressive box office performance, Buried expanded its release to 116 theaters throughout North America. Besides the original 28 theaters, it included 88 others under United Artists Theaters, encompassing over 2,600 screens.
The theater chain also ramped up its promotional efforts, arranging numerous publicity events from the U.S. to Canada, traveling from one city to another. Link found himself either on the road for promotional events or participating in them every day. Eager to maximize ticket sales, he was more than willing to engage in such activities, a stark contrast to how media had ignored him before the film's release.
...
After Buried's second week in 116 theaters, it grossed $3.895 million, placing fourth on the weekly box office chart, just behind the newly released erotic thriller Basic Instinct, the sports comedy White Men Can't Jump, and the drama The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. It even surpassed Chaplin's earnings for that week by $230,000.
Buried, a film with a mere $20,000 budget, managed to outperform Chaplin, starring the hotshot Robert Downey Jr., which had a production cost of $30 million. This caused a stir among media outlets.
With those weekly figures in, Buried's cumulative gross hit $6.05 million.
---
"$6.05 million? No way! How could such a bad movie attract that many viewers? Are people losing their minds?" Robert Downey Jr. grumbled as he slammed the newspaper down, frustrated that Buried had outdone Chaplin at the box office.
"In terms of quality, Buried doesn't compare to Chaplin. However, it created an incredible box office return for a low investment, drawing a lot of attention, and its performance kept improving," said Downey's agent, Jimmy Rich.
"Is it just hype? Tell Carolco Pictures that we need to ramp up our movie promotions. Chaplin cannot be overshadowed by a movie with only a $20,000 budget," Downey demanded.
"Got it, I'm on it!"
---
"$6.05 million in two weeks? How is that even possible? Do audiences really like these hard-hitting films?"
In an apartment near Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, Quentin flipped through the newspapers, shocked by the numbers. He had seen Buried and found its quality commendable, but the monotonous setting and intense subject matter, baffled him.
How could a film like that achieve such box office success? Reservoir Dogs had been out for over a month and had only grossed $2.2 million worldwide against a $1.2 million production budget, suffering slight losses. Thankfully, its DVD sales fared well enough that they had not lost money.
Yet Buried, with its $20,000 investment, had raked in over $6 million in just two weeks. The box office return ratio shot up to 300 times, and that figure was likely to keep increasing.
"Maybe we underestimated the audience; perhaps people really do enjoy something fresh and innovative," producer Lawrence Bender remarked while reading reviews of Buried.
"Link sure is a lucky guy," he added.
Ding ding ding--
Quentin's phone rang. It was Harvey Weinstein, and he was curious about the call's purpose.
"Quentin, I remember you mentioning Link, do you know him?"
"Yep, we lived in the same neighborhood before I moved."
"Quentin, I want to meet him. Can you help me get in touch?"
"Harvey, did you just notice Buried? Last time, you thought it wouldn't go anywhere."
"Damn it, let's not bring up the past; we all miss the mark sometimes."
"Ha! I can help you reach out, but he's been busy with promotions lately, so I can't guarantee he'll be available."
"Can you ask him if the distribution rights for Buried are still available? I'm willing to pay a high price for them."
"Sure, I'll let him know."
After hanging up, Quentin shrugged.
"See? I'm not the only one who underestimated this; even Harvey didn't expect a $20,000 film like Buried to make such waves, creating what could be dubbed the box office miracle of the year."
"Link's amazing," Lawrence Bender praised.
---
"$6.05 million at the box office? A 300x return? Did I really miss something?"
On the east end of Hollywood Boulevard, in the New Line Cinema presidential office, Robert Shaye pinched a copy of the Los Angeles Times with his slender fingers, staring blankly at the figures on the page.
Seeing Buried made him recall the enthusiastic young man who greeted him one day downstairs at New Line. The kid passionately pitched him his film, Buried.
Robert had encountered many like him since taking over as president at New Line. As the studio gained fame, the number of hopefuls had skyrocketed.
Initially, he had no intention of considering Link. However, something about the story Link shared was intriguing, coupled with the undeniable confidence he exuded, which contrasted sharply with the nervous demeanor of typical directors. That is why he agreed to check it out before leaving.
After seeing Buried, however, Robert's impression was lackluster; a single actor in a single setting discussing a serious anti-war theme.
The heads of the distribution department unanimously felt that Buried lacked selling points and didn't align with current audience tastes, deeming it not worth the investment to distribute.
After turning Link down, he heard from colleagues that Link had approached over twenty other studios for collaboration, all with the same result -- rejection.
Seeing his peers say no only solidified Robert's belief that his decision to reject Buried was justified. Yet no one anticipated that, weeks later, Link would independently distribute the film, gradually building buzz and leading to its wider release.
Buried's box office numbers hit over $6 million in just two weeks, achieving a staggering 300x return, a figure poised to grow as the film continued to screen.
That metric struck like a loud smack.
Smack!
It was a hard hit to his, Harvey's, and many others' faces, marking their critical oversight, mistaking a gem for a stone. This episode might evolve into a classic Hollywood tale of folly.
"Ah, I'm getting old; I really misjudged that one."
Robert Shaye rubbed his thin, aged face and picked up the phone to contact the distribution department, asking them to reach out to Link to see if there was any chance of acquiring the North American distribution rights for Buried.
Even though Link had a deal in place with United Artists, the theater chain lacked the expertise and funding that a distributor could provide.
To prevent losses, they tended to keep their releases small, sometimes spanning over a year.
For Buried to reach its full box office potential, the best strategy was to partner with a distribution company to maximize its impact. Robert wasn't sure if Link would want to team up with New Line, but he figured it was worth trying. If he managed to secure Buried's distribution rights, the company would surely benefit from this blockbuster.
Moreover, Link had shown extraordinary talent and potential as a director, making him someone worth building a relationship with.
*****
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