DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION

Dragonball Evolution

FOX and Dune Entertainment co-financed this stinker with some capital from Ingenious Film Partners and the budget estimates are all over the place on Dragonball Evolution. First announced as an expensive project produced by international star Stephen Chow for $100 million, then reported at about $80 million, then $45 million, the number dropped to $30 million and even under $25 million. During filming there were rumors that FOX might scrap the project and seeing what’s left onscreen, they probably did indeed scrap most of the budget. FOX opened the film in the asian market first to mixed results. Japan was the strongest market with an ok $8.4 million and the film pulled in a soft $48.1 million from its overseas run and was dumped straight to video in Germany. FOX opened the film in the US without screening it for critics and after a tidal wave of bad buzz and online fanboy hate, it flopped with $4,756,488 in 2,181 theaters with a remarkably coincidental and crappy $2,181 per screen average — while it tried to court the young male audience, when fellow opener Hannah Montana The Movie took in the young female crowd. Audiences gave Dragonball Evolution a poor C+ cinemascore and the film sank 64.6% in its second frame to $1,684,942 and quickly left theaters with $9,362,785. FOX would see about $31.5 million after theaters take their cut of the worldwide gross, which would not cover even the P&A costs. Whatever the cost of the actual budget, the audience response and worldwide box office were poor enough to stop FOX from going ahead with a series of films. Recorded domestic home video sales were $8.2 million (less after resellers take their cut and manufacturing costs).