Cast member Jake Gyllenhaal (right), and director Ang Lee attend the Los Angeles premiere of Focus Features' 'Brokeback Mountain' at the Mann National theatre in Westwood, California, November 29. The movie tells the story of two young men, Wyoming ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and a rodeo cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), who, after meeting in the summer of 1963, form a life-long bond. The movie opened nationwide on December 16. - REUTERS
LOS ANGELES (AP):
WHO'S AFRAID of a couple of gay cowboys? Not moviegoers, who helped Brokeback Mountain post the highest per-screen average over the film-flush holiday weekend.
The Ang Lee film, which follows the 20-year forbidden romance between two roughneck ranch hands, earned US$13,599 per theatre, compared with US$9,305 for weekend winner King Kong and US$8,225 for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The big question is whether Brokeback can maintain its momentum as it moves from selected cities, where audiences are receptive to the subject matter, to suburbs far and wide, where that might not be the case.
STAYING POWER
Early numbers - and early awards buzz - establish the picture's staying power, industry insiders say. Brokeback earned a leading seven Golden Globe nominations.
"It delivered very strong growth in what is truly a highly unforgiving, competitive, cruel market at this Christmas period," said Jack Foley, president of theatrical distribution for Focus Features. "It showed it has breadth beyond the gay community."
Distributors planned to roll out the film slowly. It opened in just six theatres, where it earned an 'unprecedented' US$109,000 per venue, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.
The film expanded to 69 theatres the following week, then to 217 on the holiday weekend, reaching suburban audiences in Portland, Dallas, Denver and Atlanta.
The gradual release allows moviegoers to talk up the film's appeal, Foley said.
And it seems to be working.
"This is a film that builds through word of mouth and critical acclaim," Dergarabedian said. "People want to see what all the fuss is about."
Response has been so robust that distributors are expanding the film's rollout ahead of schedule. It will show on 269 screens this Friday, and reach an additional 80 markets the following week, Foley said.
CHALLENGES
Still, he acknowledges that bringing a homosexual love story to the Bible Belt presents its own set of challenges. Various Christian groups voiced opposition to the film before its release.
Ted Baehr, who reviews films for the Christian Film & Television Commission, called the film 'abhorrent' and 'twisted, laughable, frustrating and boring neo-Marxist homosexual propaganda' in a review on the Commission's MovieGuide website.
But based on the film's reception in Atlanta and Dallas, Foley said he expects it will be well received in other markets.
"We're rolling it out ahead of schedule because the demand is there," he said.
Ever-building buzz can only help Brokeback, Dergarabedian said.
"This film has so much buzz going for it and so much critical acclaim going for it, it will transcend any limits the subject matter has placed on it," he said. "If you want to be a well-informed viewer on Oscar night, you should probably see this movie."
