1997 SUNDANCE BOX OFFICE CHART
Our annual chart once again lists all the American independent features appearing at last year's Sundance Film Festival that have gone on to significant domestic theatrical release in 1997. As always, a few of last year's features (like triple award-winner Hurricane Streets) are still scheduled for release in the coming year. Films marked with an asterisk are still in their theatrical runs; numbers are partial figures accurate as of December 10, 1997. Thanks to EDI for helping compile the box-office figures.
The "Budget" estimates are just that -- estimates. Culled from previously published reports, interviews with the filmmakers, or our own estimations, these numbers may not reflect the finishing costs needed to take some of these films from their festival release to your local theater.
A "Festival" column tracks which Sundance films also played the following key international festivals: Berlin (B), Cannes (C), New York (N), Toronto (T), Rotterdam (R), and Venice (V).
As always, note that domestic box office gross is just one indicator of a film's overall financial performance. Re-viewing this list, it's clear that the ambitions and intentions of the various distributors differed widely. Some of these films, particularly those with a genre or casting hook, received perfunctory theatrical releases designed to garner more money in the video, television, and foreign ancillary markets. Other films depended on U.S. theatrical box office to launch them in other markets and, consequently, received more vigorous releases. Still others were films whose release was halted after they underperformed in early key markets.
| Film | Budget
(estimated in millions) | Distributor | Festivals | Box Office
(estimated in millions) |
| All Over Me | .70 | Fine Line | B | .287 |
| Box of Moonlight | NA | Trimark | V, T | .782 |
| Chasing Amy | .5 | Miramax | B | 12.0 |
| The Delta | NA | Strand | R, T | .090* |
| Dream with the Fishes | 1.1 | Sony Classics | -- | .543 |
| Eye of God | .75 | Castle Hill | -- | .060 |
| Fast, Cheap, and out of Control | NA | Sony Classics | N, T | .448* |
| Going All the Way | 3 | Gramercy | -- | .113 |
| Gridlock'd | NA | Gramercy | -- | 5.57 |
| House of Yes | 1.5 | Miramax | T | .626* |
| In the Company of Men | .2 | Sony Classics | C | 2.80 |
| Kiss me, Guido | .75 | Paramount | -- | 1.92 |
| Last Time I Committed Suicide | NA | Roxie | -- | .046 |
| Licensed to Kill | .225 | Deep Focus | B | .101* |
| Long Way Home | .70 | Seventh Art | -- | .039 |
| Lost Highway | 16 | October | -- | 3.68 |
| Love Jones | 7.0 | New Line | -- | 12.5 |
| Love! Valor! Compassion! | NA | Fine Line | -- | 2.94 |
| Myth of Fingerprints | 1.8 | Sony Classics | T | .493 |
| Nowhere | 1.2 | Fine Line | -- | .176 |
| Prefontaine | NA | Buena Vista | -- | .098* |
| Riding the Rails | .4 | Artistic License | -- | .030 |
| Sick | .125 | CFP | T, B, R | .098* |
| Slaves to the Underground | 1.0 | First Look | B | .007 |
| Star Maps | .5 | Fox Searchlight | -- | .658 |
| Suburbia | 3.5 | Sony Classics | -- | .656 |
| Sunday | NA | CFP | C, R | .411* |
| This World, then the Fireworks | 4.0 | Orion Classics | C | .051 |
| Twilight of the Golds | NA | CFP (Avalanche) | -- | .021 |
| Ulee's Gold | 2.5 | Orion | -- | 8.64 |
| Waco: The Rules of Engagement | 1.0 | Somford | -- | .090* |
| Wonderland | NA | Fox Lorber | -- | .003 |
* still in active distribution
THE INDIE REPORT Version 1.0 WINTER 1998
THE INDIE REPORT is a new report series which made its debut in the Winter '98 issue of FILMMAKER and will be featured in upcoming 1998 print issues, as well as on inhollywood.com, "The Website for Working Hollywood." THE INDIE REPORT, is designed to provide thorough Box Office coverage of independent films and their filmmakers. Version 1.0 of the report is focused on films from the Sundance Film Festival and includes a look at the Top 60 U.S. Films that have screened at the festival between 1989-1996, as well as the Top 10 Foreign Films. The Fast Facts section provides additional analysis and pertinent information regarding historical trends from the festival.
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