The Good Thief
Rate Movie[Total: 6 Average: 4]
- Directed By: Neil Jordan
- Written By: Neil Jordan
- Release Date: April 2, 2003
- Domestic Distributor: Fox Searchlight
- Cast: Nick Nolte, Nutsa Kukhianidze
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $30 million | Financed by: Alliance Atlantis |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $3,517,797 | Overseas Gross: $2,239,148 |
Neil Jordan’s remake of the 1956 French film Bob le Flambeur, was originally in development at Warner Bros but the studio put The Good Thief into turnaround in 2000. The Canadian shingle Alliance Atlantis boarded the project to finance for $30 million, as the company was getting into the global financing game, backing more expensive productions with strong directors, who could deliver a film with appeal to worldwide audiences. However, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002, Alliance Atlantis announced that they would no longer finance films in the $20 million – $30 million range, but focus on smaller productions around $5 million to $10 million. This was attributed to Alliance Atlantis still being very exposed to the budget of The Good Thief after pre-sales.
Fox Searchlight acquired US distribution rights and opened the well reviewed The Good Thief in 9 theaters to $131,580 with an ok $14,620 per screen average. The film performed moderately well in limited release, but sputtered out when Fox Searchlight expanded it to 202 theaters in its fourth weekend to $468,811 with a $2,320 per screen average. The Good Thief never expanded beyond 222 theaters and closed its run with $3,517,797.
Overseas, the film was given brief theatrical runs from its many distributors, with $512,294 from the UK as the highest number — from distributor Momentum Pictures, which Alliance Atlantis has ownership of. The overseas total was just $2,239,148 and certainly no cash overages would flow back to Alliance Atlantis.