In the realm of the film industry, preview screenings were an exceedingly common part of the exhibition process. Artistic films would meet a small audience through these previews, with word of mouth gradually fueling their promotion. This, in turn, drew more viewers into the theaters, transitioning from preview to wider release. Ultimately, the decision for a full-scale public release hinged on box office performance.
As a general rule, once the number of theaters exceeded seven hundred, it was termed a public release. And when it reached one thousand five hundred theaters, it was considered a wide release.
Apart from art films, Disney animations also opted for preview screenings. However, Disney's "previews" were distinct; their preview venue was the Disney theme park. While the number of screening rooms was limited, the foot traffic was incomparable to that of regular cinemas. Moreover, these "previews" were accompanied by grand spectacles, showcasing their exceptional nature.
As a result, on the historical chart of single-theater box office records, Disney animations easily dominated the top ten positions. The $793,000 achieved by "The Lion King" in 1994 remained unbroken, securing its leading position. When discussing the single-theater box office chart, a common practice was to prefix "live-action films" to distinguish them.
At present, the record for live-action films' single-theater box office was set by "Dreamgirls" in 2006, with a figure of $126,000. This exceeded the $100,900 of "Brokeback Mountain", claiming the record. Until 2010, these were the only two works from preview screenings that had surpassed $100,000 in single-theater box office.
Regarding the single-theater achievements of thriller and horror films, due to their specific genre nature, their performance was generally lackluster. In the annals of film history, they hardly made it into the top forty. The highest-ranking among them was "The Blair Witch Project", which, during its 1999 preview, garnered $63,000 in single-theater box office, placing it only at the forty-third spot.
Interestingly, the $63,000 was the result after "The Blair Witch Project" expanded to six more theaters in its second week of preview. In the chart of single-theater box office for horror films, this placed it at the second position. Clearly, word of mouth was the most potent catalyst for box office success in any film genre.
Furthermore, "Paranormal Activity", with its $49,000 from preview screenings last year, claimed the third spot in film history.
Now, amidst great anticipation and widespread acclaim, "Buried" demonstrated an incredible allure. It even outshone "Paranormal Activity 2" in terms of discussions. Throughout the weekend, the bustling scenes in art-house theaters in Los Angeles and New York directly mirrored this fervor. Major media outlets held high expectations for the single-theater box office of the film. Speculations abounded, wondering if this work could replicate the astounding box office trajectory of "The Blair Witch Project".
In the end, "Buried" did not disappoint. In its first week of preview screenings, it raked in $46,000 in single-theater box office, sparking waves of astonishment!
Yet, simply considering the figure of $46,000, there wasn't much to applaud. This achievement barely landed it within the top one hundred of live-action film single-theater box office rankings and only secured the fourth spot among horror films. It failed to break the dominance of "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity".
Undoubtedly, it was a commendable performance, but it fell far short of being truly remarkable.
However, both "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity" had carried out extensive marketing campaigns prior to their previews. Utilizing viral videos and messages, they spread news that led people to believe the stories in the films were real, that the movies were genuine documentaries. This unquestionably piqued the audience's curiosity. Even those with no interest in horror films couldn't resist stepping into the theaters. Further promotion blurred the boundary between reality and the film, forming a solid foundation for their box office miracles. The handheld camera pseudo-documentary style gained widespread popularity.
In comparison, "Buried" hadn't undergone any form of promotion prior to its release. Even after the fervor in Toronto and Telluride, there were no magazine features or interviews. It solely relied on word of mouth, spreading the buzz, and the intriguing angle of Renly himself to attract more attention.
It was like a rustic lad stepping out of a mountain village and suddenly appearing in the boxing ring, shattering everyone's expectations. He went head-to-head with the reigning boxing champion for ten rounds, never knocked down, only losing due to a point disadvantage.
Yes, he lost, but the impact remained undiminished. This was the current state of "Buried".
Moreover, "Buried" didn't rely on the gimmick of pseudo-documentary. It was a solid independent film, completely captivating the audience through the director's skill and the actors' talent. Achieving such results amidst a lack of novelty was a remarkable feat, and every accolade was well-deserved.
The media echoed this sentiment.
"Setting a record in single-theater box office, "Buried" emerges as a dark horse!"
"Another "Paranormal Activity"? "Buried" defeats its competitors in a riveting showdown, making a spectacular debut!"
"Tickets in high demand; this Halloween brings the biggest surprise of the year: Can "Buried" replicate the box office miracle of "Paranormal Activity"?"
"Igniting discussions during its preview, from the small screen to the big screen, Renly Hall shines once again!"
"From Toronto to Telluride, then to the North American market, "Buried" continues its explosive word-of-mouth frenzy."
"The biggest surprise of the year? "Buried" receives enthusiastic acclaim from both audiences and critics!"
"With $46,000 in single-theater box office, the second coming of "The Blair Witch Project"."
"A rising force; "Paranormal Activity 2" faces its biggest competitor ahead of time: "Buried"!"
"Word-of-mouth explosion! "Buried" stages a miraculous comeback."
"This scene, is it so familiar? The miracle of "Paranormal Activity" from a year ago is repeated!"
"The crew of "Fast 5" collectively endorse. "Buried" achieves impressive results during its preview!"
...
News of all sizes and sorts spread like wildfire. Particularly bolstered by the immense attention on "Fast 5" and "Paranormal Activity", over one hundred and fifty media outlets covered the exceptional preview performance of "Buried". Even before Focus Features could act, the propagation of word of mouth had exceeded expectations by leaps and bounds, and the box office performance had already surpassed the initial plans!
With such momentum, it was even more formidable than works in wide release. This was undoubtedly a perfectly spectacular opening act.
Undoubtedly, "Buried" emerged as the week's greatest surprise, showcasing a momentum not inferior to that of "Paranormal Activity 2". It even managed to overshadow its rivals in terms of topical intensity. The humiliation faced by the sequel of "Paranormal Activity" now seemed to have rebounded, and the situation was truly exasperating.
In the third week of October, "Paranormal Activity 2" held a grand premiere across more than 3,200 theaters. Despite dismal word-of-mouth, fueled by the hype created by its predecessor, the sequel effortlessly drew a substantial audience to the theaters and eventually earned $40M in box office revenue, effortlessly securing the top spot on the weekend box office chart!
For a film with a production cost of less than $3M, this was enough to bring a smile to the executives at Paramount Pictures. Even if the spotlight was stolen and the feedback wasn't as expected, even if the media was awash with criticism, and even if the subsequent box office trajectory was uncertain, what did it matter? The weekend box office result had already yielded substantial profits for Paramount. Anything following this was simply counting the money – that's what truly mattered.
Behind "Paranormal Activity 2", the remaining seats in the top five were occupied by "Jackass 3D", "Red", "Hereafter", and "The Social Network", respectively.
Among them, "Red" garnered considerable attention. Featuring heavyweight stars like Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, it also received much praise. "Hereafter", a creation by Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon, was another focal point. And then there was "The Social Network", currently one of the most promising contenders in the award season...
Added to this were the ongoing 3D movie craze that started with "Avatar" last year, last week's "Jackass 3D", and the upcoming "Saw 3D". All of these were red-hot topics within the industry.
However, "Buried" still managed to carve out its path. In the eleventh week, across a mere eleven theaters, it earned $560,000 in weekend box office – a robust performance propelling it into the top twenty of the North American weekend box office chart. It secured the nineteenth position, with Christopher Nolan's "Inception", which had swept through the summer blockbuster season, trailing behind.
Among the top thirty films on the weekend chart, "Buried" was the only one screened in less than three hundred theaters. With a mere eleven theaters, it achieved such outstanding results, fully qualifying it for the title of the year's biggest dark horse!
From discussion fervor to word-of-mouth feedback, from single-theater box office to focus level, "Buried" authored its own miracles. This once again spread the name of Renly-Hall far and wide. No one could detach "Buried" from Renly – it was a duo that mutually contributed. However, without a doubt, both "Buried" and Renly had earned the recognition of the audience.
Nevertheless, previews were just previews. The success of previews couldn't necessarily translate to the success of wide release. The perspective of seasoned cinephiles didn't necessarily align with the tastes of the general public. Cases abound where a film was highly anticipated during previews but faced audience reluctance during wide release.
What sort of box office performance "Buried" could ultimately achieve, and how its prospects would shape up during the award season – all remained uncertain. The forthcoming expansion plans and promotional strategies of Focus Features would be paramount.
It should be noted that "Buried" was about to face a continuous onslaught from multiple works, including "Saw 3D", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1", "Megamind", "Tangled", and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". This was a rare and fierce summer box office battle seen in recent years, rivaling even the summer blockbuster season in intensity.
So, what were the odds of victory for "Buried"?