"Brigham City," the second movie by Utah filmmaker Richard Dutcher, earned a respectable $103,629 at the box office in its first three days of release.
That's more than the $88,584 taken in by Dutcher's first movie, the LDS missionary tale "God's Army," in its opening weekend. However, "God's Army" opened on only 12 Utah screens, while "Brigham City" opened on 51 screens in five Western states -- for a solid if not breathtaking per-screen average of $2,032.
The movie, about a murder investigation in a small town whose culture is dominated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opened in 27 Utah theaters -- and on screens in Arizona, California, Idaho and Nevada. This weekend it will show on six more screens, including in Oregon and Hawaii, and later in April the movie will expand to Colorado, Texas and Washington.
Among new films, "Brigham City" had the 5th highest box office. It was surpassed only by 4 big-budget major studio films: "Along Came a Spider" (thriller starring Morgan Freeman); "Blow" (starring Johnny Depp); "Pokemon 3: The Movie", and "Just Visiting" (an American remake of the highest-earning comedy in French history).
| The Top Movies, Weekend of April 06, 2001 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movie | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Days | ||
| 1 | (1) | Spy Kids | $17,079,114 | -35.66% | 3,133 | $5,451 | $48,257,162 | 10 |
| 2 | (new) | Along Came a Spider | $16,712,407 | 2,530 | $6,606 | $16,712,407 | 3 | |
| 3 | (new) | Blow | $12,443,461 | 2,249 | $5,533 | $12,443,461 | 3 | |
| 4 | (new) | Pokemon 3: The Movie | $8,240,752 | 2,675 | $3,081 | $8,240,752 | 3 | |
| 5 | (2) | Someone Like You | $5,347,702 | -46.58% | 2,349 | $2,277 | $17,776,720 | 10 |
| 6 | (3) | Heartbreakers | $5,009,640 | -35.79% | 2,708 | $1,850 | $29,979,511 | 17 |
| 7 | (6) | Enemy at the Gates | $3,353,741 | -37.97% | 1,724 | $1,945 | $39,214,411 | 24 |
| 8 | (5) | Brothers, The | $3,006,620 | -46.34% | 1,307 | $2,300 | $22,488,990 | 17 |
| 9 | (8) | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | $2,820,308 | -42.00% | 1,628 | $1,732 | $117,525,155 | 122 |
| 10 | (4) | Tomcats | $2,811,509 | -56.11% | 2,617 | $1,074 | $10,953,131 | 10 |
| 11 | (7) | Exit Wounds | $2,677,815 | -49.01% | 2,260 | $1,185 | $45,415,821 | 24 |
| 12 | (new) | Just Visiting | $2,272,489 | 1,590 | $1,429 | $2,272,489 | 3 | |
| 13 | (9) | Traffic | $2,134,341 | -44.31% | 1,339 | $1,594 | $116,755,319 | 103 |
| 14 | (11) | Chocolat | $1,217,327 | -45.74% | 956 | $1,273 | $66,082,420 | 115 |
| 15 | (12) | Tailor of Panama | $1,133,352 | -38.31% | 225 | $5,037 | $3,527,412 | 10 |
| 16 | (10) | Mexican, The | $1,125,148 | -55.49% | 1,328 | $847 | $64,101,808 | 38 |
| 17 | (20) | Memento | $842,939 | +24.08% | 120 | $7,024 | $2,411,385 | 24 |
| 18 | (16) | O Brother, Where Art Thou | $796,631 | -30.09% | 685 | $1,163 | $39,923,302 | 108 |
| 19 | (13) | Down to Earth | $622,356 | -54.92% | 755 | $824 | $63,095,559 | 52 |
| 20 | (15) | Hannibal | $504,432 | -57.82% | 800 | $631 | $162,916,511 | 59 |
| 21 | (14) | See Spot Run | $455,746 | -66.38% | 1,650 | $276 | $32,486,094 | 38 |
| 22 | (19) | Pollock | $450,924 | -40.19% | 269 | $1,676 | $6,755,336 | 115 |
| 23 | (21) | Cast Away | $345,870 | -43.69% | 413 | $837 | $230,654,808 | 108 |
| 24 | (33) | What Women Want | $313,320 | +148.72% | 355 | $883 | $181,483,882 | 115 |
| 25 | (17) | 15 Minutes | $243,178 | -77.01% | 369 | $659 | $24,160,216 | 31 |
| 26 | (27) | Emperor's New Groove, The | $226,614 | -11.61% | 374 | $606 | $88,077,287 | 115 |
| 27 | (29) | Widow of St. Pierre, The | $221,012 | +26.35% | 71 | $3,113 | $944,222 | 38 |
| 28 | (24) | Save the Last Dance | $208,815 | -37.20% | 220 | $949 | $88,821,643 | 87 |
| 29 | (50) | Dish, The | $191,833 | +343.17% | 49 | $3,915 | $439,236 | 26 |
| 30 | (28) | Miss Congeniality | $179,475 | -29.93% | 374 | $480 | $106,201,042 | 108 |
| 31 | (25) | Wedding Planner, The | $147,701 | -48.19% | 205 | $720 | $60,111,491 | 73 |
| 32 | (18) | Say It Isn't So | $131,001 | -87.30% | 303 | $432 | $5,341,021 | 17 |
| 33 | (new) | Brigham City | $103,629 | 51 | $2,032 | $103,629 | 3 | |
| 34 | (22) | Get Over It | $95,347 | -81.34% | 247 | $386 | $11,503,579 | 31 |
| 35 | (45) | House of Mirth, The | $95,328 | +85.25% | 54 | $1,765 | $2,472,799 | 108 |
| 36 | (23) | Gladiator | $88,336 | -80.66% | 157 | $563 | $187,601,773 | 339 |
| 37 | (31) | Finding Forrester | $85,812 | -39.22% | 128 | $670 | $51,706,678 | 111 |
| 38 | (30) | You Can Count on Me | $80,952 | -51.36% | 75 | $1,079 | $8,787,358 | 150 |
| 39 | (38) | Cyberworld 3D | $68,484 | -20.17% | 29 | $2,362 | $7,247,139 | 185 |
| 40 | (34) | Billy Elliot | $67,200 | -43.86% | 96 | $700 | $21,764,665 | 178 |
| 41 | (39) | Michael Jordan to the MAX | $66,651 | -19.74% | 16 | $4,166 | $15,811,278 | 339 |
| 42 | (54) | 3,000 Miles to Graceland | $59,287 | +85.79% | 218 | $272 | $15,691,053 | 45 |
| 43 | (26) | Recess: School's Out | $55,853 | -79.62% | 237 | $236 | $35,579,773 | 52 |
| 44 | (44) | Amores Perros | $54,661 | -10.46% | 2 | $27,331 | $146,842 | 10 |
| 45 | (36) | In the Mood for Love | $54,381 | -44.77% | 44 | $1,236 | $2,411,685 | 66 |
| 46 | (new) | Blow Dry | $50,123 | 34 | $1,474 | $637,769 | 33 | |
| 47 | (new) | Day I Became a Woman, The | $48,255 | 14 | $3,447 | $48,255 | 3 | |
| 48 | (37) | 102 Dalmatians | $47,127 | -51.76% | 149 | $316 | $66,903,659 | 138 |
| 49 | (53) | Best in Show | $46,897 | +46.87% | 42 | $1,117 | $18,519,324 | 194 |
| 50 | (35) | American Desi | $43,064 | -60.03% | 25 | $1,723 | $869,937 | 24 |
| 51 | (32) | Before Night Falls | $42,080 | -68.04% | 54 | $779 | $4,136,677 | 108 |
| 52 | (56) | Me You Them | $40,805 | +30.79% | 22 | $1,855 | $268,946 | 38 |
| 53 | (40) | Valentine | $39,389 | -46.57% | 104 | $379 | $20,355,568 | 66 |
| 54 | (46) | T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous | $36,034 | -24.82% | 11 | $3,276 | $36,711,061 | 899 |
| 55 | (71) | Himalaya | $35,997 | +142.71% | 5 | $7,199 | $60,319 | 10 |
| 56 | (67) | Gift, The | $30,287 | +51.84% | 83 | $365 | $11,951,703 | 111 |
| 57 | (49) | Unbreakable | $27,324 | -38.59% | 52 | $525 | $94,968,321 | 138 |
| 58 | (48) | Sweet November | $24,411 | -45.19% | 69 | $354 | $25,025,241 | 52 |
| 59 | (62) | Gabriela | $22,836 | -4.30% | 5 | $4,567 | $240,796 | 24 |
| 60 | (66) | Yi Yi | $21,318 | +1.67% | 13 | $1,640 | $765,013 | 185 |
| 61 | (64) | I'm the One That I Want | $21,010 | -5.52% | 7 | $3,001 | $933,311 | 248 |
| 62 | (new) | Shadow Magic | $19,772 | 5 | $3,954 | $19,772 | 3 | |
| 63 | (68) | Dude, Where's My Car? | $18,974 | +12.34% | 23 | $825 | $46,715,637 | 115 |
| 64 | (52) | Quills | $18,037 | -48.38% | 27 | $668 | $7,020,918 | 138 |
| 65 | (61) | Faithless | $16,672 | -36.95% | 16 | $1,042 | $576,833 | 73 |
| 66 | (63) | Double Take | $14,109 | -40.86% | 18 | $784 | $29,419,297 | 87 |
| 67 | (72) | Island of the Sharks | $13,085 | +0.05% | 8 | $1,636 | $9,266,184 | 710 |
| 68 | (65) | Chunhyang | $12,649 | -40.39% | 13 | $973 | $664,458 | 101 |
| 69 | (47) | Caveman's Valentine, The | $11,969 | -74.60% | 24 | $499 | $628,706 | 38 |
| 70 | (69) | Galapagos | $10,777 | -36.07% | 7 | $1,540 | $9,323,593 | 528 |
| 71 | (59) | Monkeybone | $10,458 | -61.75% | 34 | $308 | $5,390,616 | 45 |
| 72 | (new) | Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine, The | $9,874 | 4 | $2,469 | $9,874 | 3 | |
| 73 | (new) | Beautiful Creatures | $9,134 | 7 | $1,305 | $9,134 | 3 | |
| 74 | (81) | Ratcatcher | $8,258 | +50.64% | 5 | $1,652 | $209,619 | 178 |
| 75 | (74) | Price of Milk, The | $8,255 | -29.97% | 5 | $1,651 | $77,406 | 52 |
| 76 | (73) | Keep the River on the Right | $8,221 | -34.87% | 2 | $4,111 | $26,049 | 10 |
| 77 | (77) | Gleaners and I, The | $8,140 | -0.84% | 2 | $4,070 | $78,279 | 33 |
| 78 | (new) | Alien Adventure | $7,806 | 2 | $3,903 | $3,380,237 | 360 | |
| 79 | (80) | Faat Kine | $7,042 | +2.73% | 1 | $7,042 | $20,178 | 12 |
| 80 | (new) | Encounter in the Third Dimension | $6,064 | 4 | $1,516 | $5,378,474 | 773 | |
| 81 | (new) | Hit & Runway | $5,815 | 5 | $1,163 | $56,747 | 38 | |
| 82 | (new) | Signs and Wonders | $5,364 | 2 | $2,682 | $11,922 | 59 | |
| 83 | (78) | Boy's Life 3 | $3,195 | -59.48% | 2 | $1,598 | $187,405 | 122 |
| 84 | (101) | Suzhou River | $2,933 | +677.98% | 1 | $2,933 | $83,119 | 152 |
| 85 | (76) | When Brandon Met Trudy | $2,858 | -67.04% | 4 | $715 | $121,667 | 31 |
| 86 | (new) | On Hostile Ground | $2,367 | 1 | $2,367 | $2,367 | 3 | |
| 87 | (84) | Last Resort | $2,315 | -37.99% | 6 | $386 | $110,177 | 45 |
| 88 | (100) | Time for Drunken Horses, A | $2,313 | +442.96% | 4 | $578 | $679,184 | 164 |
| 89 | (86) | Africa's Elephant Kingdom | $2,082 | -15.91% | 4 | $521 | $13,476,188 | 1,067 |
| 90 | (87) | Dark Days | $1,733 | -26.63% | 2 | $867 | $420,655 | 222 |
| 91 | (new) | Ran | $1,550 | 1 | $1,550 | $337,112 | 5,608 | |
| 92 | (95) | Spring Forward | $1,408 | +13.64% | 2 | $704 | $89,893 | 122 |
| 93 | (83) | Company Man | $1,030 | -74.22% | 5 | $206 | $141,562 | 31 |
| 94 | (new) | Just One Time | $974 | 1 | $974 | $23,374 | 171 | |
| 95 | (92) | Polax | $460 | -69.13% | 1 | $460 | $172,107 | 213 |
| 96 | (96) | George Washington | $325 | -69.99% | 1 | $325 | $173,360 | 164 |
"Brigham City" opened at number 33. In its second week, it was ranked 35th.
In its third week, it took in $86,881 at the box office, playing in 50 theaters, for a per-screen average of $1,738.
The total box office take was $399,842, which is over 30% of what the film cost to make. At this point it's clear that the film has legs, and will doubtless gross more than it cost to make, even before considering video/DVD sales.
9 films opened the same weekend as "Brigham City." It outperformed all but three of them in per-screen box office receipts:
| Rank | Film | This Week's Gross | Theaters | Per Theatre | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Along Came a Spider | $8,753,521.00 | 2,543 | $3,442.00 | $46,758,944.00 |
| 6 | Blow | $5,901,682.00 | 2,103 | $2,806.00 | $35,158,246.00 |
| 57 | The Day I Became a Woman | $22,386.00 | 9 | $2,487.00 | $149,971.00 |
| 38 | Brigham City | $86,881.00 | 50 | $1,738.00 | $399,842.00 |
| 46 | All Access | $50,972.00 | 34 | $1,499.00 | $240,230.00 |
| 68 | Beautiful Creatures | $15,822.00 | 12 | $1,319.00 | $36,197.00 |
| 71 | Shadow Magic | $13,125.00 | 11 | $1,193.00 | $66,401.00 |
| 15 | Pokemon 3: The Movie | $1,325,886.00 | 2,012 | $659.00 | $15,754,369.00 |
| 29 | Just Visiting | $214,473.00 | 497 | $432.00 | $4,594,329.00 |
As for total box office receipts, "Brigham City" was outperforming all of the independent films that opened concurrently with it. Only the four big-budget studio films had sold more tickets ("Along Came a Spider", "Blow", "Pokemon 3: The Movie", "Just Visiting"). Like "God's Army" before it, "Brigham City" will probably be one of the top independent films of the year.
Down from its 38th place ranking in its third week, "Brigham City" was ranked #43 among movies nationwide, in terms of box office performance. It outperformed some well-known independent films that have been showing for a shorter time, including "The Center of the World" (showing on 8 screens) and "The Claim" (23 screens).
"Brigham City" was showing on 47 screens, so its per-screen average was $1,497. "Brigham City" had the 23rd highest per-screen average nationwide, outperforming newly released films such as "One Night at McCool's" (with Michael Douglas, Paul Reiser, John Goodman, Liv Tyler) and "Town & Country" (Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Garry Shandling). Interestingly enough, critics were almost universal in their disdain for both "One Night at McCool's" and "Town & Country", while they were almost entirely positive in their reviews of "Brigham City."
Excluding IMAX films, "Brigham City" was in 19th place for per-screen average.
In a total of 47 theaters, the film was ranked #47 nationwide. It's weekend gross was $55,515, which was just 64% of the week's gross, indicating a considerable amount of mid-week ticket sales. The per-theater gross was $1,207.
After 31 days of release, the total gross was $587,539, a strong showing for an independent film.
"Brigham City", in fact, was outperforming all independent films that had been released at the same time as it. Among films which opened the same weekend as "Brigham City", the IMAX concert film "All Access" (filmed by LDS cinematographer Reed Smoot) has grossed a total of $358,969; "The Day I Became a Woman" (from Iran) has earned $213,847; "Shadow Magic" has earned $98,253; "Beautiful Creatures" has earned $53,718.
Among co-released films, "Brigham City" was topped only by the four big studio, big budget releases: "Along Came a Spider"; "Blow"; "Pokemon 3: The Movie"; and "Just Visiting." The most disappointing performance among these was the Americanized French film "Just Visiting", which was tapering off at about $4.7 million in gross receipts, yet cost $40 million to make.
Among the 9 films released concurrently, "Brigham City" had the 4th best per-screen box office average, and the 2nd best rate of change (i.e., 2nd smallest drop off):
| Rank | Last Week | Title | Weekend Gross | Change | Theaters | Per Screen Avg | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | -61 | The Day I Became a Woman | $15,321 | -44.06% | 8 | $1,915 | $213,847 |
| 7 | -6 | Blow | $2,447,638 | -27.04% | 1558 | $1,571 | $44,245,722 |
| 5 | -4 | Along Came a Spider | $3,762,266 | -32.85% | 2573 | $1,462 | $60,004,520 |
| 47 | -43 | Brigham City | $55,515 | -21.08% | 46 | $1,207 | $587,539 |
| 53 | -51 | All Access | $33,244 | -35.62% | 35 | $950 | $358,969 |
| 76 | -71 | Shadow Magic | $7,725 | -47.22% | 10 | $773 | $98,253 |
| 28 | -23 | Pokemon 3: The Movie | $186,537 | -55.43% | 467 | $399 | $16,622,570 |
| 50 | -58 | Just Visiting | $42,904 | 36.48% | 115 | $373 | $4,746,138 |
| 95 | -86 | Beautiful Creatures | $873 | -87.76% | 3 | $291 | $53,718 |
"Brigham City" has already earned a more at the box office than many independent features that have been playing weeks, even months, longer than it, including: Keep the River on the Right; Gabriela; The Circle; Simon Magus; Company Man; The Gleaners and I; Hit & Runway; Me You Them; The Price of Milk; The Taste of Others; Nico and Dani; The Claim, etc.
So, although not necessarily a "runaway hit", the film is doing quite well financially. By comparison, Dutcher's previous film "God's Army" had earned $849,202 after 31 days in release.
| Weekend Chart Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Days | |
| 4/6/2001 | 33 | $103,629 | 51 | $2,032 | $103,629 | 3 | ||
| 4/20/2001 | 38 | $86,881 | 50 | $1,738 | $399,842 | 17 | ||
| 4/27/2001 | 43 | $70,346 | -19.03% | 47 | $1,497 | $500,724 | 24 | |
| 5/4/2001 | 47 | $55,515 | -21.08% | 46 | $1,207 | $587,539 | 31 | |
| 5/11/2001 | 62 | $30,147 | -45.70% | 38 | $793 | $639,948 | 38 | |
| 5/18/2001 | 60 | $28,876 | -4.22% | 33 | $875 | $683,621 | 45 | |
| 5/25/2001 | 62 | $22,604 | -21.72% | 27 | $837 | $719,512 | 52 | |
| 6/1/2001 | 64 | $13,541 | -40.09% | 20 | $677 | $753,354 | 59 | |
| 6/22/2001 | 93 | $4,530 | 9 | $503 | $798,341 | 80 | ||
| 7/6/2001 | 86 | $7,706 | 11 | $701 | $815,586 | 94 | ||
After 94 days, or 13 weeks, "Brigham City" has long since played out its original run outside of Utah. As happened with "God's Army," it continues to play on many Utah screens, but new weekly revenue is minimal. The last-available box office total of $815,586 will probably be close to the final total.
This means that "Brigham City" earned nearly 1/3 as much as "God's Army" at the box office. "Brigham City" cost about three times as much to make. So it had a lower ROI (return on investment).
What does this all mean? Well, no filmmaker sets out to make a film that will be less successful than their previous projects. In strictly financial terms, "Brigham City" was less successful than "God's Army." But "Brigham City" was nevertheless a financial success. $815,000 is an impressive box office performance for a low-budget independent feature.
Remember that "God's Army" has had well over $2.5 million in video/DVD sales, and still continues to be one of the top selling items in Latter-day Saint bookstores. Even if video/DVD sales for "Brigham City" are only a third as much as those for "God's Army" (and I expect the figures will be somewhat higher), that would mean that "Brigham City" would have combined box office/video sales of over $1.6 million, well beyond its production budget. There are also rumors of a network television contract, which mean additional substantial revenue.
Critically, mainstream reviewers generally favored "Brigham City" over "God's Army." It's story and themes seemed less "inside", and more appealing to broader audiences. Latter-day Saint-oriented publications and reviewers were mixed. While these sources were nearly universal in their praise of "God's Army," some felt "Brigham City" was an even better film, while others did not.
Aside from the critical success and financial performance of "Brigham City," the film seems to have solidified Richard Dutcher's place as the leading voice in the film genre known as "Mormon cinema," to use his term. Yet "Brigham City", which perturbed many church members with its murdery mystery theme, onscreen sacrament service, and darker content, also made it clear that Dutcher is an artist and provocateur, seemingly unafraid of controversy and wholely independent. Dutcher has been featured in multiple articles about niche cinema in general, alongside discussions of filmmakers of Native American, Buddhist, Hispanic and other minority backgrounds.
Dutcher has also been noticed as one of the most successful creators of Christian films working today. But he has frustrated many Christian film reviewers who have expressed dismay that bigger-budget and more-hyped offerings by Evangelical filmmakers (such as "The Omega Code" and "Left Behind") have all fallen short of the artistic and spiritual achievement of Dutcher's small-budget films.