The first-week box office performance of "3 Idiots" ended at a total of $1.765M. Even during the final three days of additional screenings, the average occupancy rate of the participating theaters remained around 40%.
The box office achievement of $1.765M also allowed "3 Idiots" to secure the 13th position on the weekly box office chart in the United States (between March 10th and March 17th). The film that claimed the top spot was the war epic "We Were Soldiers" distributed by Paramount Pictures, earning a staggering weekly box office of $10M. In the 12th position was a film titled "Roughin It" that had been screening for over a month, with a weekly box office of $2.326M.
At first glance, this achievement may not be eye-catching, as it didn't make it into the top ten on the box office chart, and its per-theater box office of around $35,000 only ranked 56th in the historical rankings. It seemed far from being sensational or record-breaking, hardly worth mentioning.
But comparisons are necessary. Without comparison, how can there be any sense of accomplishment? Although the 13th position may not seem impressive, the fact that the film achieved $1.765M with just 21 theaters initially and later expanded to 200 theaters amazed industry insiders.
The distribution department at Paramount Pictures couldn't help but smile. This was just the first week at the box office, and they had already covered the entire distribution cost. What need was there to worry about recovering the cost of buying the distribution rights? Moreover, the most crucial aspect was that even after expanding screenings, "3 Idiots" continued to maintain its market potential. The anticipation revealed by positive reviews and audience support indicated that it was undoubtedly a film with excellent word-of-mouth.
One way to look at it was that the film "Personal Velocity: Three Portraits" distributed by Miramax, which defeated "3 Idiots" and won the Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, had only earned a box office of $340,000 so far. Furthermore, it would be foolish to ignore that "3 Idiots" was a non-English film, which initially raised concerns at Paramount Pictures.
Why did EuropaCorp exert pressure during the co-distribution process? Wasn't it because Paramount didn't offer a fair price for the distribution fees? In the end, under the circumstances of intense competition, they reluctantly secured the film with a sense of dissatisfaction in order to gain a French ally.
As of 2002, the top three non-English films in the North American film market were "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with $120.8M, "Life Is Beautiful" with $57M, and "Amélie" with $33M.
Looking at this set of data, didn't it clearly demonstrate the situation? Paramount easily achieved a box office of over $40M with just an ordinary blockbuster, effortlessly surpassing a multitude of foreign films. This also reveals the obstacles and neglect faced by non-English films in the North American market.
To Lyman, Hollywood was the most exclusive and closed-off film market in the world. It was perfectly normal for "3 Idiots", as an Indian-language film, to be unable to compete with the box office records of English-language films.
With successful decision-making and planning, Paramount Pictures didn't hesitate to increase the number of theaters from 200 to 800 in the second week of the film's release. For a film leaning towards the art genre, this number was quite substantial. Although everyone had a positive impression of "3 Idiots" and mentally labels it as a "dark horse", the film's performance in the second week (between March 18th and March 25th) left everyone stunned. This dark horse turned out to be too dark!
The figures provided by the theaters immediately propelled "3 Idiots" directly to the top of the weekly box office chart!
Usually, the months of January and February constitute the slowest period in the market, as the cold weather keeps everyone indoors seeking warmth, and the buzz of award season diverts all attention. Even though March is slightly better, it is still considered an unpopular season. Seemingly, in front of a lackluster and unimpressive competition, claiming the top spot in the weekly box office shouldn't be a big deal.
Well, that is horseshit!
If it wasn't a big deal, Harvey Weinstein wouldn't have gotten angry and even ruined his favorite cigar when he heard the news of "3 Idiots" claiming the top. He had been following the film's screening situation closely. Even though he had played a trick on Lyman at Sundance, he still felt uncomfortable deep down. Being rejected by an unknown director, it had been a long time since he experienced such a thing, especially after personally extending the invitation.
Unfortunately, he was upset, while Lyman was especially delighted. When Lyman heard the news, his mood was beyond joyful. René was so excited that he bumped into the hotel room door, muttering, "Champion, champion, we're going to make it!" Thomas was a bit more composed, but he was grinning like someone with senile dementia, smiling foolishly all day long.
For achieving such outstanding results in "3 Idiots", from media newspapers to film critics and moviegoers, it received widespread acclaim. The film's discussion and popularity on the internet continued to rise, which made the distribution department at Paramount Pictures even more delighted.
The only downside was that compared to the drastic 40% drop in box office for "We Were Soldiers", the achievement of "3 Idiots" couldn't cover the production costs solely through box office earnings. They had to cut down on marketing expenses to recover some of the losses. Of course, it was generally bad news for Paramount Pictures, but for the people in the distribution department, it was still cause for celebration.
Why enjoy someone's misfortune when they belong to the same company? Well, the failure of the production department only highlighted the competence of the distribution department, right? Moreover, both films were their own children. Now that the "natural-born son" had died, it was only natural for the "adopted son" to take its place. As a result, the distribution department's mood improved even more.
What's that called? It's called entrusting them with an important task, which clearly affirmed their ability.
"Look, I personally negotiated to acquire the distribution rights for "3 Idiots". Now that it has become a blockbuster in the market, doesn't it prove that I have good judgment?" Tony Selock really wanted to win over Lyman now, not just to establish a good relationship as before, but because he truly believed that this person was capable and talented.
Furthermore, he had received some good news...
Lately, Tony Selock was truly beaming. Not only did he receive praise from the board for successfully handling the distribution of "3 Idiots", solidifying his position, but he also had the opportunity to glimpse higher positions.
Now he was meeting with Lyman at a coffee shop, not only to win him over but also to share the good news.
"Mr. Selock, what is this news that couldn't be discussed over the phone and requires a meeting?"
Lyman looked at Tony Selock, who had a mysterious expression on his face, took a sip of coffee, and sarcastically said, "I hope this news can make up for the losses I've incurred. You know, I rushed here immediately after receiving your call during my nap."
Tony Selock smiled and said, "Okay, Lyman, I won't keep you guessing anymore. We received an invitation from The Oprah Winfrey Show. They want you and your team to participate in the next episode's interview." The attempt at winning him over had failed. After all the previous talk, he was still speaking in a polite and insincere manner. However, this news still had to be conveyed. It was good news for Paramount Pictures.
"The Oprah Winfrey Show? Why is that?" Lyman was surprised but immediately asked in return because he believed that Paramount Pictures must have been involved in this matter. That was Oprah, the most famous and highly-rated talk show in the United States. Not just anyone could go on it.
Seeing Lyman's perplexed reaction, Tony Selock also realized it. He raised his coffee cup, nodded with a smile, and said, "No, no, no, it's not what you're thinking. We didn't have a hand in this. The production team from The Oprah Winfrey Show called themselves. Since you don't have an agent, they informed us about it. I'm just relaying the message. Of course, it's up to you whether to go or not." He took a sip of coffee and said the final sentence.
Go on The Oprah Winfrey Show? This was a situation completely beyond Lyman's expectations. He never believed that a non-English film like "3 Idiots" could be featured on such a mainstream media platform.
Lyman hesitated. It was like a double-edged sword that could hurt him if not used well. But he didn't think for too long and nodded in agreement. The advantage was that such a platform's promotion would have a significant impact on the film. He needed this advantage. Because he understood better than anyone that Hollywood lived under the glare of the spotlight, and to achieve greater success, he had to deal with various media forces. They were the true kings of this industry. Moreover, he was a director, and he really wanted his work to have better exposure.
The opportunity had come, and he had to seize it!
"Alright, let's agree to that. The episode will be recorded next week. Prepare yourself in advance." After saying that, Tony Slocck left the coffee shop.
Oprah Winfrey? Hopefully, it will turn out well, Lyman silently thought to himself.