One of probably the most unlikely box-office heroes now has the milestone to again it up. “Hundreds of Beavers,” the black-and-white, silent, slapstick comedy released into theaters without formal distribution, surpassed $1 million on the box office on a price range of simply $150,000.
“They said it would never happen,” the film tweeted on Tuesday. “Long live indie cinema! $150,000 budget and a dream. And thank you to the fans who got us here. Finally, thank you to our theatrical booker who has been independently booking indie cinema for decades. She’s a real soldier of cinema. We got really lucky we found her.”
“Back when we hit $100,000 at the Box Office we were told that one hundred thousand is the new one million for truly independent releases, so we popped the champagne,” “Hundreds of Beavers” lead producer Kurt Ravenwood mentioned in an announcement to IndieWire. “At this point we are so out of champagne that we have resorted to drinking moonshine my grandpa has in his basement. We are very drunk, very happy, and so thankful to all of the indie theaters who took a chance on us. We hope this encourages more filmmakers and studios to make movies for the big screen.”
OK, $1 million will not be a lot within the grand box-office scheme — however for this film, it’s an enormous achievement. After it debuted in 2022 and spent a yr enjoying 50 movie festivals, the producers took the film on tour — not on the coasts, the place most distributors sometimes begin — however within the Midwest, the filmmakers’ residence turf.
The Great Lakes Road Show started January 26, 2024; it didn’t hit New York and LA till March. Anyone who’s a member of the “Beaverati” is aware of it’s not only a screening; it’s a reside occasion with vaudeville comedy and a filmmaker Q&A. Sometimes, it’s interrupted by a beaver wrestling match within the viewers.
That was the start of the lengthy (and ongoing) journey for “Hundreds of Beavers.” The movie lastly crossed $1 million in Germany: On February 13, “Beavers” opened in 68 theaters throughout the nation after the producers shopped the movie to exhibitors on the “Filmkunstmesse Leipzig,” an arthouse conference for German theater house owners.
Lighthouse Entertainment, which partnered with Ravenwood and different filmmakers on the discharge, labored with German companion 24 Bilder to safe screenings at venues such because the Delphi Lux and Rollberg in Berlin and the City venue in Munich. The movie continues to be a success overseas, now getting into its fourth week in theaters. The movie’s star Ryland Brickson Cole Tews is also on a tour throughout the UK, hitting 40 cities in a four-month span and promoting out each present.
Back within the U.S. the movie continues to be a success, and the group is rolling out new surprises for devoted return audiences. They have several 35mm screenings, together with Los Angeles on the New Beverly March 28-30, in addition to different screenings in Boston, New York City, Cleveland, Tucson, Portland, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Miami, San Francisco, and extra. It’s new to some theaters whereas others are bringing it again, with the IFC in NY and the Laemmle in LA internet hosting anniversary screenings later this month.
“Hundreds of Beavers” had an enormous turnout on the Music Box in Chicago, incomes slightly below $8,000 from a single screening, the best particular person gross of any “Beavers” exhibiting. And The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA earned over $5,000 throughout three reveals in a single day (although it was booked with simply 10 days’ discover).
The movie’s prime markets embrace New York and Los Angeles, adopted by Seattle, Boston, Chicago, and Portland, however the group considers Seattle as “Beaver Central.” The film has performed there at the very least as soon as a month since March 2024, beginning on the Grand Illusion Cinema, which is now quickly closed. As a end result, Seattle’s Central Cinema donated half of its “Beavers” field workplace to assist the Grand Illusion discover a new residence.
All this, and the movie has already been streaming since final April and even bought a particular version Blu-Ray, as IndieWire first reported back in November.
Directed by Mike Cheslik, “Hundreds of Beavers” follows an applejack salesman Jean Kayak who, after beavers destroy his orchard and brewery, wanders the wilderness combating for his survival. We see Kayak change into a grasp fur dealer working to gather sufficient beaver furs to win the hand of a shopkeeper’s daughter, however the premise doesn’t totally put together you for the oddity.
As for that “soldier of cinema,” the theatrical booker who makes the “Hundreds of Beavers” filmmakers depend their fortunate stars? Her title is Jessica Rosner and she or he’s been reserving movies since 1985.
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