diary and empty seats

[fartpants]

last night i went to see diary at my local theatre, 8.00 pm showing and was shocked that only myself and 5 other people were there in a screen with 200 seats. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this lack of interest when they saw the film ?

[Dead Hoosier]

Yep ... two showings, 14 total people in the seats. I guess that's what happens with ZERO promotion. Perhaps assuming the film would make its budget back with DVD sales, maybe they looked at ANY theater profit as a bonus. This film had the least promotion that I ever remember. It didn't come to my city until three weeks after release, and because I'd given up on it, I would've never known it was here -- in one theater -- if it weren't for a tip from someone on this board.

[bassman]

Yep ... two showings, 14 total people in the seats. I guess that's what happens with ZERO promotion. Perhaps assuming the film would make its budget back with DVD sales, maybe they looked at ANY theater profit as a bonus. The film made it's money back before it ever started it's theatrical run. So it's all profit at this point. There were only about 5 people in the screening I was at. Doesn't surprise me though. I expected that.

[MinionZombie]

I went opening day in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday (this time last week I was 45 minutes away from leaving for the cinema ... ahhh memories ). Anyway, there was a couple when I entered the cinema (one lad, one lass...although I think they were older than me, so...) and after me one chap came in - but he left half way through. So by the end there was 3 of us...I was kinda expecting just me to be there, so I was surprised to see others there mid-afternoon on a Friday when the schools aren't on holidays. When I went the following day to see Vantage Point at 9-something-pm, Diary was letting out (the 7-something-pm showing), and there was a decent amount of people coming out, so that's a good sign. But aye, I think this film is gonna do its best business on DVD.

[fartpants]

it just seemed a shame that such a great film had such a poor attendance cos i loved it...

[Mike70]

i have great hopes that when i go to see diary tomorrow that there will be no one else there or there will be maybe 3 other people or so. i cannot stand seeing a movie (any movie) in a crowded theater. i much prefer a quiet, mostly empty theater so i can enjoy the movie and not be bothered by the antics of muttonbirds. that is why i always go to see movies in the afternoon and i am breaking a long held personal taboo by even considering going to see one on a saturday.

[MinionZombie]

It depends I think. British audiences are far more reserved than American audiences by the sounds of things. For example - Shaun of the Dead - when I saw that, there were loads of people there, but nobody was talking or annoying anyone else, and everybody laughed at the same jokes throughout the entire movie and everyone had a great time. I think with some films it is nice to have at least a good clutch of people there, so you're not just on your own or giggling quietly under your breath with two other people there. Depends really...but trust me, if some of you American folks who are sick of American cinema audiences came to one of our Brit cinemas, you'd stand aghast at the common decency exhibited 99% of the time.

[capncnut]

Like MZ, I went on on opening day and I was one of two people total in the theatre. Major bombage!

[Trin]

I went to see an 11:00 PM showing in its 4rth week here and the theater was at least a quarter full, probably working on half full. I was surprised. We had to work to find good seats.

[Danny]

Apparently a freind of mine whent a few miles to see it was the ONLY person in a 300 seat screening, the ONLY person! this movie may make its cash back for production costs but as for pulling in the customers i think diarys bombed.

[MinionZombie]

Apparently a freind of mine whent a few miles to see it was the ONLY person in a 300 seat screening, the ONLY person! this movie may make its cash back for production costs but as for pulling in the customers i think diarys bombed. It's limited appeal, at least theatrically. It wasn't intended for theatres originally. Also, it depends on what other films are showing, who's going to see it, who they're going to the cinema with, when they're available and blah-blah-blah. For a film that's already in the black before it's in cinemas, it can't bomb...it flies in the face of common sense and technicality with it's wang out and flopping!

[jim102016]

It depends I think. British audiences are far more reserved than American audiences by the sounds of things. For example - Shaun of the Dead - when I saw that, there were loads of people there, but nobody was talking or annoying anyone else, and everybody laughed at the same jokes throughout the entire movie and everyone had a great time. I think with some films it is nice to have at least a good clutch of people there, so you're not just on your own or giggling quietly under your breath with two other people there. Depends really...but trust me, if some of you American folks who are sick of American cinema audiences came to one of our Brit cinemas, you'd stand aghast at the common decency exhibited 99% of the time. Sounds like I'll have to go to England to find a decent theater. No matter when I go or what I see, there's always old farts there who refuse to even turn their phones on vibrate, and teenagers that won't shut up. And don't forget about the exceptional parents who bring their young kids and babies into movies intended for adults only. Way to go, Ghetto whores, create even more ****ed up people for society to deal with! You're a lucky man to have empty theaters!

[MinionZombie]

Well, empty when it's mid-afternoon on a Friday and you're going to see a limited appeal movie in Wales. Other films have a lot more people, Rambo had loads, Vantage Point had loads, Pirates 3 was absolutely packed. Depends on a whole vast array of variables.

[DubiousComforts]

If empty theaters are the unit of measurement by which motion pictures bomb at the box office, then the last successful film I saw with a packed-house must have been Independence Day (1996). It's been a good 10-11 years since I've sat in a U.S. multiplex that wasn't at less than half capacity. And don't forget about the exceptional parents who bring their young kids and babies into movies intended for adults only. Way to go, Ghetto whores, create even more ****ed up people for society to deal with! So what you're saying is this situation is entirely the fault of black people?

[Yojimbo]

Here in Los Angeles, California, there was practically no publicity around the opening of Diary, hence on the opening weekend the single theater screening Diary was only filled because of freaks like myself who had been desperately waiting for this release and therefore would have sought this film out on our own. Of course, the following weekend had this film in seven theaters, though I do not know if it did all that much better with the expansion of the screens since there was no increase in promotion or publicity save for newspaper ads mentioning the film and it's screentimes. It is to be expected therefore that Diary did not do blockbuster box office sales here in Los Angeles (in my mind primarily because of the lack of publicity and absence of any kind of real promotion) So I am wondering if one of our UK brothers might share with the board any Box Office stats related to the UK release. I am curious to see if the ad campaign in the UK -- much more than we got here in Los Angeles during Diary's run -- has affected the total sales in any way.