How ‘Poor Things’ got rich at the global box office

When deciding whether to produce a film by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos Bad things, Searchlight Pictures and parent company Disney believed the film would be able to earn up to $100 at the global box office. After all, the project was reuniting Lanthimos with Emma Stone, one of Hollywood’s luminaries who starred in the director’s Oscar-nominated film. Favorite, while he himself had developed a cult following. But when executives saw the completed film, some had doubts, according to a source close to the project.

Would moviegoers accept a genre-bending Victorian tale about a Frankenstein-like doctor who places a child’s brain inside the body of his dying mother, only to unleash an innocent-minded woman who wouldn’t think about masturbating in front of others or spitting? A mouthful of food in a fancy restaurant. She embarks on a fun adventure with a corrupt lawyer — her word for sex is “angry jumping” — but real-world problems begin to creep in when she witnesses poverty and suffering. She steals her lover’s money to help those she sees, and is unfazed when they are left destitute and homeless, so she becomes a kind-hearted prostitute to make a living. In the end, the story comes full circle and she participates fully in the life she chooses.

Heading into Oscar weekend, Bad things It has grossed over US$105 million and counting at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing limited edition release of 2023 and Lanthimos’ highest-grossing film of all time after surpassing the $95.6 million it took worldwide. Favoritean absurdist historical comedy starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne.

Bad things The film heads into Sunday’s Oscars with 11 nominations, the most for any film Oppenheimer13. Stone is considered the front-runner alongside Lily Gladstone (Moonflower Killers) for Best Actress, although many think Gladstone is the best. It’s also up for Best Picture and Best Director. But the real victory could be the boost it gives to a faltering art house box office, where $100 million or more is like a tentpole to a billion-dollar gross (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration).

Among the contenders for best picture at tomorrow’s ceremony, it ranks fourth in terms of domestic and international ticket sales, behind it Barbie ($1.44 billion), Oppenheimer ($958 million) and Moonflower Killers ($158.2 million).

Bad things The sale was not easy.

“We always wanted and hoped for it Bad things “There are clearly no guarantees in the current market anymore, especially for more complex, original fare,” says Tony Chambers, Disney’s president of worldwide theatrical distribution. “It is a testament to the strength and quality of the film, publicity campaign and tactical publishing strategy that after a modest start, we are now on track to eventually reach $115 million worldwide.”

The first major win from a marketing perspective was taking the film to the Venice Film Festival, which always provides a good barometer of the mindset of foreign critics and writers, says Rebecca Curry, head of international and commercial operations at Searchlight.

“I sat through the press premiere and noticed that the Italian press and the international press were really picking up on the humor. There was a lot of laughter at the press premiere, and I felt very grateful. This movie actually has a lot of humor, but it’s also one of Yorgos’ movies. There’s darkness, And there’s light, and there’s drama, and there’s humor, and there’s all these things that happen, and you don’t know how the media is going to straddle that line.

One challenge for Bad things In Venice there was an ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, meaning its stars were unable to attend. Instead, the director and department heads were on duty 24/7. From Venice, Searchlight and Lanthimos raced to the Telluride Film Festival. (Stone turned heads by attending the festival as a fan.) And by the time Bad things It opened in December and has played at 40 international film festivals (the cast only became available after the strike ended on November 9).

After seeing the reaction of the Italians in Venice, the studio arranged for further events there. It paid off. Italy has tied with the UK in terms of ticket sales — the film has grossed up to $9 million in each country — and is expected to become the top-grossing region this weekend or next. While the lion’s share of FavoriteTotal foreign income, or $21 million, came from the United Kingdom. Overall, Bad things She did more work in most parts of Europe and parts of Latin America.

“Yorgos has built a fantasy world that has a Southern European sensibility. It has a Salvador Dali feel,” Kerry says.

And Bad things It grossed over $5 million in Mexico (compared to $773,000 last year). Favorite And nearly $3.5 million in its native Greece, the best ever for a Lanthimos film.

in venice, Bad things He won the Golden Lion, both in the Searchlight category Water shape And Nomandland It did so before it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. But this year, all possibilities are possible Oppenheimer Taking the highest honors. but Bad thingsA box office win is no small feat, and it’s a boost for Searchlight as studio head David Greenbaum takes over Sean Bailey’s old job running Disney’s live-action studio.

“There are some films that at first glance seem like obvious Oscar contenders, but are unlikely candidates for success at the global box office,” says Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian. “Bad things It’s one of those rare films that has risen on the crest of a cultural and box office wave while transcending the fact that it doesn’t flaunt the most commercial concepts yet becoming a “must-see” experience to build momentum throughout Oscars weekend. “.