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

[Doctor Scratch]

I'm going to go out on what is no doubt an extremely sturdy limb and make the call: the Dan Peterson-produced Mopologetic movie, Witnesses is officially a "box-office bomb," meaning, in industry parlance, that it failed to make back its production budget via movie theater ticket sales. While the movie is screening once or twice daily on a handful of screens, short of a miracle, there is no way it will recoup the money that it cost to make the film. In fact, according to some estimates, the movie is coming up over half a million dollars short of its budget. Quite a bummer! And I know that Dr. Peterson himself defined "success" as making back enough money such that they would be able to finance yet another movie. Well, it looks like he will have to go back to the donors for that, hat in hand, if another "Interpreter" film is going to happen, and lately he seems more interested in horsing around and traveling than in doing serious Mopologetics.

Still, one has to give credit where it is due: it's impressive that the film got made at all, and yes, indeed, it was in theaters at the same time as movies produced by Disney, Paramount, and other big studios. But Witnesses, for better or worse, will never escape the fact that it was, officially, a "box-office flop." This therefore marks a very important milestone in the history of Mopologetics.

[drumdude]

I guess the Witnesses aren't as compelling to normal people as DCP believes them to be. Not compelling in the millions of BoMs spread out around the world, and not even compelling on 3-story tall cinema screens. Not compelling on Youtube, not compelling on Instagram.

The narrative must be that we are in the latter days, and Satan winning is only to be expected.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Let's put this film in historical perspective. Of all domestic films ever made, Witnesses ranks at number 8,772 in all time domestic box office revenue: https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office- ... -time/8701

If all films (domestic and international) are taken into consideration, Witnesses ranks at number 14,553 in all time box office revenue: https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office- ... time/14501

How could a movie with a message so compelling and so vitally important for all of mankind do so poorly? Obviously there wasn't much enthusiasm for this film even among the LDS. All in all, it looks like about 70,000 people saw the Witnesses. Keep in mind there are approximately 6.721 million purported members in the U.S. Just over 1% of LDS members in the U.S. watched this film. Folks, let me state this again, "Just over 1% of LDS members in the U.S. watched this film." https://cumorah.com/index.php?target=co ... ind=Search

This film was a horrible piece of pure propaganda, IMHO. It should never have been made.

[Philo Sofee]

So are we accurate to conclude that only 1% of all Mormons think the witnesses are important? That isn't much of an endorsement for Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon validity via supernatural witness verification... Surely Peterson now has to adjust his overly enthusiastic belief that the witnesses are a crucial piece of evidence. If only 1% of Mormons think so then they need to call the missionaries around the world back home and send them on missions to their own Mormons. It appears it's not the world being skeptical and full of doubt, it's the Mormons themselves.

[Sledge]

I'm going to go out on what is no doubt an extremely sturdy limb and make the call: the Dan Peterson-produced Mopologetic movie, Witnesses is officially a "box-office bomb," meaning, in industry parlance, that it failed to make back its production budget via movie theater ticket sales. While the movie is screening once or twice daily on a handful of screens, short of a miracle, there is no way it will recoup the money that it cost to make the film. In fact, according to some estimates, the movie is coming up over half a million dollars short of its budget. Quite a bummer! And I know that Dr. Peterson himself defined "success" as making back enough money such that they would be able to finance yet another movie. Well, it looks like he will have to go back to the donors for that, hat in hand, if another "Interpreter" film is going to happen, and lately he seems more interested in horsing around and traveling than in doing serious Mopologetics.

Still, one has to give credit where it is due: it's impressive that the film got made at all, and yes, indeed, it was in theaters at the same time as movies produced by Disney, Paramount, and other big studios. But Witnesses, for better or worse, will never escape the fact that it was, officially, a "box-office flop." This therefore marks a very important milestone in the history of Mopologetics.

It will have a second, much longer, and much more profitable life in streaming.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

I'm going to go out on what is no doubt an extremely sturdy limb and make the call: the Dan Peterson-produced Mopologetic movie, Witnesses is officially a "box-office bomb," meaning, in industry parlance, that it failed to make back its production budget via movie theater ticket sales. While the movie is screening once or twice daily on a handful of screens, short of a miracle, there is no way it will recoup the money that it cost to make the film. In fact, according to some estimates, the movie is coming up over half a million dollars short of its budget. Quite a bummer! And I know that Dr. Peterson himself defined "success" as making back enough money such that they would be able to finance yet another movie. Well, it looks like he will have to go back to the donors for that, hat in hand, if another "Interpreter" film is going to happen, and lately he seems more interested in horsing around and traveling than in doing serious Mopologetics.

Still, one has to give credit where it is due: it's impressive that the film got made at all, and yes, indeed, it was in theaters at the same time as movies produced by Disney, Paramount, and other big studios. But Witnesses, for better or worse, will never escape the fact that it was, officially, a "box-office flop." This therefore marks a very important milestone in the history of Mopologetics.

It will have a second, much longer, and much more profitable life in streaming.

Sure Sledge. Sure.

[Sledge]

I’m not sure whether you are aware, but theater ticket sales aren’t how movies made money during COVID.

[Kishkumen]

I focus on the fact that it was a great achievement it was even made. Also, I do think one must factor in the COVID distraction. People have had a lot on their minds, and other films have been boosted by simultaneous streaming.

That said, I find the lack of LDS interest in Witnesses extremely baffling. Even if we figure in COVID and a certain Wasatch Front exhaustion with bad LDS cinema, the apparent lack of LDS interest in this film is really very shocking. What is up?

I don’t know the answer to that question. It may be that the LDS Church is in much bigger trouble than I thought. If the Utah membership can walk about without masks and vaccines but not find their way into the theater to see the founding events of the Restoration dramatized lovingly on the big screen, it really makes one wonder.

That may be a problem way too big for the likes of DCP and friends to address.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

I’m not sure whether you are aware, but theater ticket sales aren’t how movies made money during COVID.

Sledge, I know how bad you wanted Witnesses to do well. Unfortunately a streaming service is only going to pay a few thousand dollars for a Purdie Distibutor film like Witnesses.

Dr. Scratch is right, Witnesses was a major box office flop. Critically, it didn’t fare any better.

If Witnesses is lucky enough to get on Netflix or Amazon, it can realistically expect to receive less than $10,000 total.

https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/ ... n-netflix/

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-minim ... es?share=1

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I focus on the fact that it was a great achievement it was even made.

I’m going to side with the Reverend on this one. I’m not sure how one goes about raising a million or so dollars for a theatrical film, but the fact is Mr. Peterson did it. That, in of itself, is remarkable. Then, bringing people together to collaborate, donate their services, labor for free or significantly reduced fees, and then promote their product is not only noteworthy, but very admirable. I admire him for that. Well done.

- Doc