Time to Call It: "Witnesses" is a Box Office Flop

[drumdude]

DCP says the docudrama is nearly complete. He has "always" thought the docudrama was always to be the "main event."


So don't call Witnesses a flop, you ain't seen nothin yet guys.

[Shulem]

DCP says the docudrama is nearly complete. He has "always" thought the docudrama was always to be the "main event."


So don't call Witnesses a flop, you ain't seen nothin yet guys.

I'm not going to watch the movie. But if the docudrama shows Joseph shirtless then do let me know and I'll happily watch that.

I can imagine that the movie must have stirred the minds of many women to want to have sex with Joseph Smith.

I must say, that Daniel C. Peterson has good taste in men.

[Shulem]

JOSEPH: Hey, Shulem, I've been dying to meet you. How are you sir?

SHULEM: I'm doing fine you handsome prophet. Can I help you take that vest off?

JOSEPH: Please do, it's a pleasure to have your company.

SHULEM: You're beautiful, baby.

[Kishkumen]

DCP says the docudrama is nearly complete. He has "always" thought the docudrama was always to be the "main event."


So don't call Witnesses a flop, you ain't seen nothin yet guys.

I am eager to see this film. Release the Kraken!

[Moksha]

Release the Kraken!

Dr. Midgley is already free and can move about his house with minimal assistance.

[IHAQ]

For me, by the way, the docudrama has always been the “main event” of the Witnesses project. When we were first discussing possibilities, the theatrical or dramatic film was nowhere in sight. It wasn’t even on the horizon. We — certainly I — had never even thought of such a thing. As I recall, it emerged in connection to conversations with Mitch Davis. So it’s been icing on the cake, in a sense.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... nders.html

They spent >$1 million of donations on an afterthought?

[IHAQ]

Meanwhile, the Exec. Co. Prod. claims a resounding and historic victory...
It seems that this coming Thursday will be the last day of the theatrical run for the Interpreter Foundation’s dramatic film, Witnesses. A “last day” was inevitable, of course, and it’s been very clear over the past few weeks that it was approaching.

Earlier this evening, I received a note from Brandon Purdie, the extremely effective head of Purdie Distribution, that read (in part) as follows:
Truly a remarkable theatrical run. Producers, thank you for a film that delivered on its promise. A distribution team that delivered on its promise. Arthur, thank you for all of the incredible support from Excel/Deseret Book – your team delivered in a spectacular way.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... g-too.html
It's always good to have your films success ratified by the distributer you're paying and who is responsible for the films distribution success.

And a reminder that it was never, ever, about the money (despite not knowing what the films measures of success were stated as at the outset).

I’m guessing that the final box office total will come in at very near to $855,000. We won’t have made a profit from box office receipts, but then, we never expected to do so. We never solicited “investments” in the movie. Rather, we sought donations. We promised nothing back. None of us will collect royalties. In fact, we’ve always spoken of using whatever money we end up with after the overall Witnesses project toward a future film project. (And we’re already discussing precisely that.)

And then the citations which prove the success claim...
"About six years ago, one Steven McQuinn reported that..."
"Just a year ago, Patrick Freeman (“novelist, screenwriter and singer/songwriter”), wrote that..."
"Says another website..."
"In 2015, writing for the CNBC website, Mark Fahey explained that..."

Here's how "Witnesses" stacks up in the current year, rather than against some spurious and carefully selected sources...
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2021 ... sort#table

According to a graph that accompanies Fahey’s article, about one in five “wide-release” movies — which he defines as movies that open in at least 2000 theaters nationally (well over five times the number of theaters in which Witnesses, virtually the definition of “a small independent film,” was ever available) — closes at two weeks. The average “wide-release” film lasts about four weeks. Which is to say at about thirty days. A third of the theater lifetime of Witnesses.

So you can perhaps understand why those of us who conceived and produced Witnesses are reasonably content with its performance thus far. Moreover, we’re still not done.

Once again in the words of Patrick Freeman, “because of the changing times there are myriad windows of opportunity for a movie to recoup its investment for the studio. Once it’s finished its theatrical run there is Streaming, PPV and VOD, Pay Cable, Basic Cable, TV, In-flight movies, and DVD and Bluray sales.”

Which suggests is really is all about the money after all...

[IHAQ]

Kenneth Gourdin • 4 hours ago
Congrats on the successful run. I'll see if I can get out to see it again before it disappears. If I do, that'll be my 7th-8th viewing, and that's really saying something: Usually, once I've seen a movie, my attitude is "Been there, seen that." But you're right: When something worth seeing appears that isn't the usual Hollowweird dreck, it needs to be supported. I hope, given my limited resources and the ongoing pandemic, that you appreciate my still-too-modest efforts to do so.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... g-too.html

I don't know what to say...

[Kishkumen]

I am pleased that Witnesses did sufficiently well to encourage the team to take a second bite from the apple. I know that I, for one, will eagerly see the second movie just as I did the first, and I will probably enjoy it as much or more than I did the first. I hope to procure a DVD of the movie to watch on my own time. It would be nice to have something with special features to increase my knowledge of the behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film.

Congratulations to Interpreter! Well done, DCP. It was really neat to see your name in the credits.

[Philo Sofee]

Release the Kraken!

Dr. Midgley is already free and can move about his house with minimal assistance.