Bomb Report
Title: News Of The World
Directed By: Paul Greengrass
Written By: Paul Greengrass, Luke Davies, Paulette Jiles
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Domestic Distributor: Universal Pictures
Cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel,
Tom Astor, Travis Johnson, Andy Kastelic
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure
Box Office Information
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Budget: $38 Million
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Financed by: Perfect World Pictures / Universal
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Domestic Box Office Gross: $12,668,325
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Overseas Box Office Gross: $0
Synopsis
In News Of The World (2020), five years after the war, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd – played by Tom Hanks, is a Civil War veteran who agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people many years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will.
During a grueling journey, they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness and face numerous dangers searching for a place that both can call home.
But, amidst the harsh realities they encounter, through territories divided by the war, can they ever find this orphan a home?
Official Trailer
Breakdown
Background
Released on Christmas Day, 2020, the $38 million genre flick News Of The World was a bite-sized piece of rest for many after a difficult year.
Described by Brian Tallerico as a “dad movie” – the film seems destined to play on TNT in regular rotation for the next decade!
Based on the 2016 novel with the same name by author Paulette Jiles, it grossed a little over $12 million at the box office – and went straight to streaming for its international release – with Netflix offering it to subscribers from other territories on February 10, 2021.
Like many other movies throughout 2020, The News Of The World suffered domestically at the box office due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All said and done – the numbers were disappointing but perhaps predictable.
News Of The World Box Office Numbers
With a production budget of some $38 million and a domestic box office 0.3 times the production budget, the movie took $12,668,325 domestically and grossed $0 overseas – having been released directly to streamers in non-domestic markets.
The film played to 1,900 theatres in its opening weekend and took $2,250,430 (17.8% of total gross).
The film played to a total of 1,986 theatres domestically and took a domestic share of some 100.0%.
Having ranked second in its opening weekend, News Of The World dropped to third in its second weekend – running for a total of 21 weeks, with an average weekend domestic gross of $603,254 based on an 9.9 weeks average run per theatre.
News Of The World was released directly to streaming in other territories, with no numbers available. Planned releases in the United Kingdom (January 1st, 2021) and Germany (January 7th, 2021) were both canceled.
It’s a Wrap
Reviews for News Of The World were largely positive on Rotten Tomatoes – with an audience score of 89% based on more than 1,000 reviews.
But with the movie being released during the COVID-19 global pandemic – the numbers were never going to be astronomical – with the same story of shuttered theatres and moviegoers hiding behind their sofas safely at home.
With the decision to cancel the planned theatre releases in both the United Kingdom and Germany, and then go straight to streaming, the movie joined others in making its way into homes much sooner than expected – at least internationally.
This continues a trend where movie fans are turning to video on demand. With News of the World topping VOD charts put out by Fandango (ousting Universal’s animated entry The Croods: A New Age) at the start of 2021.
With no overseas run to speak of – and VOD unlikely to pull the movie out of the red – the $12 million in theatre receipts is clearly not enough to bankroll News Of The World, let alone bring a profit. All in, disappointing numbers for a film that was warmly received by critics.
