SWEET NOVEMBER

Director Pat O’Connor on Sweet November: “It’s not a film that I’m delighted about.“

Sweet November was financed by Steven Reuther’s Bel-Air Entertainment for $40 million.  Bel-Air was formed in March 1998 as a 5-year equity partnership between Warner Bros and the French conglomerate Canal Plus and WB retained worldwide rights for the films, except for France, Spain and Germany, which went to Canal.  After a string of box office disappointments from Bel-Air: “Pay It Forward,” “Sweet November,” “Proof of Life” and Rock Star, Canal Plus was going to pull out of the arrangement in 2002 and Bel-air had no films in their pipeline — except the delayed Collateral Damage waiting for a release and the perpetually shelved Chain Of Fools, which was dumped straight to video in 2005.

Keanu Reeves boarded this stinker with a $15 million salary against 15% of the gross.  Sweet November was dated for February 16, opening against Down To Earth and Recess: School’s Out.  The movie received miserable reviews and WB booked it into 2,268 theaters, where it pulled in a soft $9,733,954 — placing #4 for the weekend led by Hannibal in its second frame.  Sweet November did not have strong legs to break out and declined 47.2% to $5,136,388 in its second weekend and 55.7% in its third session to $2,275,493.  The film was out of theaters with $25,288,103.  Warner Bros would see returned about $13.8 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not cover their P&A expenses or any of the budget.

Sweet November did mostly poor business in its offshore release, with Japan being the strongest market.  Warner Bros retooled the marketing in Japan to pull in female auds by focusing on the Charlize Theron character’s illness and dying, which was downplayed in every other market.  The sad, weepy marketing was a success and the Japan gross was $11 million, bringing the overseas total to $40.4 million.