Six Days in August D.O.A.?

[Kishkumen]

While it is not officially made by the church it has history and doctrinal content that will be confusing for non-members. For example, a whole section at the end is about members waiting at the temple to get their endowments before they leave Nauvoo. Non-members will have no idea what this means or why it is so important to the characters they are seeing.

https://rachelsreviews.net/2024/10/12/c ... in-august/

I wish screenwriter Mark Goodman got to the 6 days of the title sooner and built up Brigham Young (John Donovan Wilson) more as opposed to spending so much time with Smith. Why was he more worthy by God than Sidney Rigdon (Joseph Carlson)?

It’s a shame the Producers didn’t use a less biased test group to review the film as it went along. They might have picked on these important points in time to save it from being simply a film for Mormons.

That is a legitimate criticism. The bit about waiting for the endowments would be confusing to non-LDS people.

[drumdude]

There were a couple large auditoriums which sold a majority of the seats for today’s screenings. I skimmed the cinemark website for 4-5 Utah theaters. I expect the totals for Monday to be substantial.

It strikes me that a Monday evening is the best time for this movie to be screened.

It’s a good family home evening activity for sure.

[Bond]

I think the problem can be summed up in one word: marketing. This event IS dramatic and inherently interesting. Even a flawed attempt at rendering it in film should do much better. Lack of adequate marketing is the problem.

No one goes to the movie anymore except for a spectacle that needs to be seen on the big screen because everyone knows small movies are going to be out on streaming in three months or less. Only the most hardcore of hardcore (especially if it's a freebie) are going to a screening of a movie about a small religious groups' leadership struggles. They showed or hinted at almost all the action scenes and plot lines in the trailers and most people who might be interested are going to google "Joseph Smith death" and read the whole thing because people can't help themselves. Now if they'd made a counterfactual movie where Joseph Smith survives and Brigham still has leadership ambitions that would be interesting. Especially with the shall I say "tension" in the trailer between the characters.

[malkie]

https://rachelsreviews.net/2024/10/12/c ... in-august/

It’s a shame the Producers didn’t use a less biased test group to review the film as it went along. They might have picked on these important points in time to save it from being simply a film for Mormons.

That is a legitimate criticism. The bit about waiting for the endowments would be confusing to non-LDS people.

Especially if the word "endowment" is spoken aloud, it being one of the common words (like "garment") that has a highly specific meaning in Mormonism.

[I Have Questions]

My wife and I went out to dinner with a group of friends last night, and then on to a performance of The Magician’s Elephant at the Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy. It’s curious play, a musical. I enjoyed it, although I can imagine that some didn’t. I really like getting together with neighbors and former neighbors in this fashion. It’s good to catch up over dinner, and the plays are always icing on the cake.

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

Meanwhile he’s telling people to go and see 6 Days In August, go and see it multiple times, take friends. So why didn’t he take his group of friends to see 6DIA?

[Tom]

Monday, October 14

Gross: $24,561
Theaters: 82
Average per theater: $299
Total domestic gross to date: $109,543
Days: 4

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/r ... bo_tt_gr_1

I note that no theaters on the east coast of the United States are currently showing the film. The film seems to be closing on Thursday in 34 theaters nationwide. It will apparently open in 12 theaters on Friday, including one in Florida. Sadly, there are no signs that it will play in Parowan.

[Doctor Scratch]

Thanks for the helpful information, Tom. I assume that yesterday was the last real “push” of theater attendance for the film, with folks going to see it for FHE.

And did you notice that the filmmakers evidently decided to go with a new distributor? In fact, they are actually *in competition* with a Purdie Distribution film. I wonder if they had a falling out, or what.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

[Tom]

Thanks for the helpful information, Tom. I assume that yesterday was the last real “push” of theater attendance for the film, with folks going to see it for FHE.

And did you notice that the filmmakers evidently decided to go with a new distributor? In fact, they are actually *in competition* with a Purdie Distribution film. I wonder if they had a falling out, or what.

No, I missed that interesting piece of information. (Oddly enough, yesterday I was reading about Tokyo Cowboy, which I didn’t realize until now is a Purdie-distributed film.) I had the impression that Brandon Purdie is the expert on distributing LDS-oriented films, so I am a bit surprised that the co-executive producers used another distributor.

I frankly confess that I am not familiar with Susan Tuckett Media. I failed to find much online information about it. The company apparently distributed Escape from Germany. I don’t know if it’s done any other films. I didn’t find a company website, which is odd.

In any case, I plan to dial the Relief Society sister in Parowan before Friday to see if she’s interested in getting a large group together to see Faith of Angels, another Purdie-distributed movie.

[drumdude]

To quote Chernobyl:




“$25,000 roentgens. Not terrible, not great.”