A DIY Emperor: The Rise of “Valentino” – Success in DIY Filmmaking for the Independent Filmmaker and Self-Distribution
Someone used the DIY model to a profitable return recently; just thought I’d share it with you. Peter Knegt wrote about the success of Indie doc “Valentino: The Last Emperor” in this article from last week’s Indiewire.com.
A DIY Emperor: The Rise of “Valentino”
by Peter Knegt (May 29, 2009)
On March 18th, Matt Tyrnauer’s doc “Valentino: The Last Emperor” – which follows the closing act of fashion icon Valentino’s celebrated career – opened in New York’s Film Forum to incredible numbers. By the end of it’s first weekend the film has grossed $39,106, including $21,784 for the three-day weekend, making it one of the theater’s top-grossing premieres in over three decades. The film also broke Film Forum’s single-screen midweek opening day record with $5,963.
Cut to 10 weeks later. “Valentino” – without ever going over 38 screens – has grossed more than $1 million and still is routinely finding weekend per-theater-averages above $2,000. What’s more, it’s opening today at the Angelika Film Center in New York, one of the city’s premier destinations for specialty films. To have a film run for that long and then open at the Angelika is a rarity, and a testament to “Valentino”‘s remarkable staying power. Continue reading →