The Harvey Milk biopic, Milk opened in 10th place at the box office this weekend, raking in $1.8 million at 36 theaters nationwide. The distribution will increase to 60 theaters on Friday. By comparison, Brokeback Mountain brought in $547,425 in its opening weekend, though limited to five theaters. [Box Office Mojo]
Milk Comes In at Number 10 in Box Office
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Michael W.
Brokeback is 20 times the movie Milk could ever hope to be.
Qjersey
Brokeback Mountain was a good film, but ultimately a snooze. My partner bought the DVD and I have no interest in watching it again. And the “spit fucking” scene was so unnecessary to the plot or character development and caused giggles in the theatre; I was only there to clarify who was topping whom, which again, not important to the story.
Michael W.
You needed to watch the movie to confirm Heath was the top? Hell you could see that from the commercials.
Gregoire
Brokeback Mountain is important as an event, but very over-rated as a movie.
Cam
It seems weird to comment that Milk Made more than Brokeback, and then as an extra add in that Brokeback was in 5 theaters while milk was in 36, the fact that a bit more than tripled Brokebacks take, but was in 7 times as many theaters would seem to switch around the meaning. Every gay movie doesn’t have to be compared to Brokeback, let this one stand or fall on it’s own.
The Gay Numbers
Brokeback’s value is not that it was the best film ever made. It’s is that it grossed $211 mil in worldwide box office and ancillary markets.
It’s that will it opens doors to more event films with gay characters as the lead. This is why we see a movie like Milk.
It placed a question mark on Hollywood orthodoxy that gay movies could not have crossover sucess. Hollywood, as people are learning with artist like Condon, is basically a conservative industry.
As an industry, it will promote something as a truism simply because it has never happned before.
For example, for a long time they would say that blacks could not lead in a Sci Fi movie. No one would be interested to see that. They said there could not be a foreign boxoffice sucess with a black lead.
Then movie stars like Will Smirth came along, and now, they aren’t so certain. It’s still hard for black actors, but not impossible.
The same was true of gay movies. Gay movies aren’t suppose to have crossover appeal enough to make 211 mil- ever. Not even close.
If you look at the write ups for Milk’s sucess many will read great opening , but expect it to have limited sucess given its target audience.
What Brokeback did was to say – hey there maybe an audience for these films wider than just a niche. The question mark right now is whether Milk can do the same. If it can, we will see more high end movies with gay leads and possibly tv shows. That’s what good about these things. Not just what they mean in and of themselves, but the doors opening.
gayinsf
I saw Milk yesterday and it is fantastic. I lived through it…walked down Market Street the night he was murdered and marched down to City Hall after White’s verdict…the movie is important and should be seen by everyone.
Ken
It would have had a much bigger opening had it been available in more theaters. My partner and I wanted to see it opening weekend, but were amazed to find out it was not in wider release. If you have a product, and you put out ad’s saying opening weekend, go see it, then you can’t find a theater, then that’s just silly.