'Man Down', a war thriller starring Shia LaBeouf, grossed just £7 in U.K. on its opening day. Having sold just one ticket according to Variety , the movie must have focused more on its digital release. It was released on a single screen in Reel cinema in Burnley. This isn't the first time a movie scored low collection, although this is the first to score absolutely low.
The movie about a war veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is an indie project that had its world premiere at the 2016 Venice film festival, and was also screened at the Toronto film festival. It co-stars Kate Mara, Jai Courtney and Gary Oldman. Thankfully in the USA, the film garnered a decent amount of $454,490, according to Mirror , probably due to a limited theatrical release last December.
In 2013, 'Come out and Play' a horror film made $1,600 in its opening week. It was directed by Makinov, who wore a red hood when directing and promoting this remake of the 1976 film ‘Island of the Damned’, according to hollywoodreporter.com .
In 2016, 'The Benefactor', an American drama film lost in its opening weekend. It had a limited release and was up on video on demand. Even big names such as Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning didn't let it gross more than £25 in U.K. during the opening weekend.
Emma Watson-starrer 'The Colony', previously titled 'Colonia' made just £47 in its opening weekend in the year 2016. The Guardian reported that that means fewer than 10 people in the UK came out to see it as it was meant for a limited release.
Keanu Reeves's 'Exposed' earned £88 from U.K. cinemas on its opening weekend. The numbers don't take into account profits made from its simultaneous VOD release, where the film hopefully fared a little better, according to The Independent.
While online streaming has been in vogue for the last few years, viewers prefer Video on Demand (VOD) over multiplexes. This may be probably due to factors like the comfort of home, the pricing (VOD on an average can cost from $3-5 per movie, as opposed to $8 for a movie ticket on average) or just sheer inertia.
Reed Hastings, one of the co-founders of Netflix, the popular entertainment company, often told a story that he started the company after he was fined by a video store for returning a film late.
Thanks to high-speed affordable Internet and data plans, people can now watch their favourite TV shows or movies at their convenience, on their mobile phones, tablets or laptops and smart TVs. People are now used to lazy couch-surfing and binge-watching of movies and TV shows thanks to the affordability and small size of streaming devices like Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV.
