WITNESSES CRASHES AND BURNS!

[Dr Exiled]

I personally go back and forth on the subject of "Witnesess." Part of me wants the damn thing to crash and burn as it is clearly propaganda supporting a false narrative for a church that doesn't give a damn about the members unless the members aren't blindly following. These Witnesses didn't see what they claimed to have seen. There isn't any outside proof of Nephites and the book itself is Bible fan fiction/mound builder myth. So, whatever they supposedly saw surely had to be delusion or deceit. However, sometimes I am ambivalent about it. Who cares if it makes money and the cinematography looked pretty good from the trailer and reviews back that up. Even so, Mormonism is cancerous as evidenced by its current state of having a leadership that hides $Billions from the members while pressuring the members to continue to contribute unnecessarily. Also, occasionally reading MD&D and posters like Scott "follow the brethren" Lloyd, Robert "I claim to use science but really don't" Smith, and Kevin "I secretly have Kuhn tatooed to my ass" Christensen, shows how the thing doesn't produce the kind of thinking society should support.

So, I had multiple chances to see Witnesses when it was playing in Las Vegas and the theaters serve beer. But, I always had something to do, like clean out the garage or sit and stare off into space. I guess I'll see it when it goes to the online version.

[Paloma]

So, I had multiple chances to see Witnesses when it was playing in Las Vegas and the theaters serve beer. But, I always had something to do, like clean out the garage or sit and stare off into space. I guess I'll see it when it goes to the online version.

No worries, Dr. E. Some of the viewers more than made up for your absence at the movie theatre by going several times.

One such fan mentioned on the MDD board that he'd been to 5 showings and was planning to go again. That's dedication!

On the other hand, I've been interested to see what seems like quite a lack of interest in Witnesses by most of the people at MDD.

I get the impression that many viewers have seen the film multiple times. Perhaps they've loved it that much, and want to see it over and over again! (I get it, that movie lovers can get more and more out of a film they like.) Maybe they just really really want to support the producer, and take it personally whenever he puts out a plea for more seats to be filled in the theatres where Witnesses is showing.

Apart from the cinematography, I have no interest in seeing this movie. But then it sounds like it's not for non Mormons like me. Everything I've seen and read in posts and reviews confirms my initial impression that this is a testimony-builder for the faithful. If it were of more general interest, I'd be eager to see it. I'm certainly not averse to seeing something put out by LDS moviemakers, and thoroughly appreciated The Other Side of Heaven.

Maybe the next project - if there is one - will be more geared to a general audience.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

The ticket sales are really declining, along with the number of theaters still showing the film. I had previously predicted the Witnesses would bring in around $850,000 in total box office receipts. I'm now revising my prediction to $825,000 due to the faster than expected drop off in ticket sales.

The box office numbers. There are now 26 theaters showing the film, including the Gem Theater in Panguitch:

Jul 9, 2021 Friday $9,895
Jul 10, 2021 Saturday $9,564
Jul 11, 2021 Sunday $659
Jul 12, 2021 Monday $5,610

Total: $740,196

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/r ... bo_tt_gr_1

[Paloma]

I think I'm in a fairly small class of onlookers - "witnesses" in fact- when it comes to non-Mormons fascinated by and therefore following the progress of this movie. And so, I write out some thoughts both for my own benefit and that of the producer who no doubt reads this board for any feedback about his film creation, among other reasons.

The movie is not showing in my area and probably never will be available for me to watch on the large screen. As I mentioned above, the most appealing thing to me, from my perusal of reviews, is the cinematography. For that reason, I may have been inclined to buy a ticket in the theatre. But what would be a deterrent is all the evidence in the reviews that they're written by "believers" who conflate their attendance in the theatres and their impressions of the movie with a testimony to their faith. For this non-Mormon, that comes across as exclusionary. And that's probably part of the ethos of Mormonism. There is a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in my town. Only because it's on a road that I often travel, I know that it says 'Visitors Welcome' on the stone monument on the beautifully kept lawn. But other than that, there's no sign that this church exists for anyone other than its own members. Whereas many churches in my town have 'drop-ins', the LDS church tends not to. ( I've been told this by missionaries I've befriended.) I recognize that's probably very different from areas where the LDS church is the dominant culture and religion.

I expect that the creators of this movie wanted and expected it to have broader appeal than just to people of their own faith. Then why call it "Witnesses"?

There have been many movies with a similar title. The one I'm most familiar with is the Amish movie with Harrison Ford that had strong appeal to those who like crime and thriller type movies (count me in!).

And so, if I were part of a focus group providing my reaction to the title for this movie, I'd mention my hope that there would be some significant action - physical and/or psychological- in the movie - and preferably related to a crime. When I realized the movie dealt primarily with belief in a specific faith group, I'd probably think the title was terrible. As someone who grew up with a Christian background, I'd know what "witnessing" is all about, and I'd understand that it has negative rather than positive connotations to those who are its non-believing object! I would be aware that Christians are called to be "witnesses". However, if I saw truth in the Christian message that I thought worth sharing, I hope I'd know that being attuned to perceptions in the culture around me were important.

Once non-Mormons realize this movie is about a particular faith, chances are that the title becomes an obstacle, no matter how deeply meaningful it is to faithful LDS. And I can see that 'Witnesses' deeply resonates with the LDS narrative, but tends to be either limiting or off-putting for everyone else. Something like "Against all Odds" or even the more transparent "Where it all Began" would likely appeal to me more, as a non-Mormon participant in my above-mentioned, hypothetical focus group for this movie.

[Tom]

The latest numbers:

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Gross: $6,858
Theaters: 27
Avg. Per Theater: $254
Total: $747,054
Day: 40

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Gross: $5,327
Theaters: 27
Avg. Per Theater: $197
Total: $752,381
Day: 41

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Gross: $5,518
Theaters: 28
Avg. Per Theater: $197
Total: $757,899
Day: 42

Sadly, the movie is no longer being shown at the Gem.

[Dr Moore]

What was the Witnesses in for at the start of its box office run?

$1m production
$20k marketing in Utah (??)
$200k marketing outside Utah

$1.25m all-in (is this close or did I miss something)

If we end the box run at $800k gross, minus 40-50% for exhibition, leaves $400-480k net ticket revenue.

-$1.25m costs
+$0.48m box
---------------
-$0.77m net

Rough math, will end the box run $750k in the hole.

Revenue opportunities remaining: 1-off exhibition runs such as BYU Varsity Theater, streaming licensing/rentals/sales, DVD sales, licensing to BYUTV or other linear/VOD services, and/or licensing to the Church.

Still a chance to break even. Except for huge box-office hits, the box office will represent ~half of a movie's lifetime revenue.

So I'll throw out that I think Witnesses generates lifetime net of ~$800k to $1 million.

But anyway, all of that money was donated. Those donations were turned into an asset, and the asset is being converted to cash. I think it's around $400-480k of cash today, and may grow to be $800k to $1m in cash over time.

Who owns the motion picture copyright for Witnesses? More importantly, who owns the equity in that company? If it's a for-profit business then that business that will, by definition, have equity owners, and those owners will be to distribute excess cash however they choose. Assuming that business is set up the way other movie studios operate, it will pay handsome "consulting" fees to producers, maybe director, technical partners, and accrue deficits against the revenue from movie ticket sales and other monetization. As a result, the entity itself will end up worthless or in a net negative tax situation, with all movie revenue passing through to the aforementioned executives. Peterson will, in all likelihood, be one of them, if not chief among them. If not, he will have bucked the trend and kudos for that (though I still wonder who gets all the money).

[Lem]

Peterson said all involved in the creation were forgoing “royalties,” whatever that means:

…One additional small but important thing needs, I think, to be made clear about this film project: None of us who have been principally involved in its creation stands to profit from any success that it might have in theaters or elsewhere; we will not earn royalties from it. Any returns that it generates beyond unavoidable expenses will be plowed back into a fund to create similar projects in the future.

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/why-do-we ... witnesses/

I assume the fund he is referring to is the llc where donations were put, which it seems he controls entirely.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Congratulations are in order! The Witnesses finally received its first "Fresh Rating" at rottentomatoes.com.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/witnes ... er-reviews

I have mixed feelings about Witnesses. On one hand it is impressive how the film embraces the messiness of the story of the 3 witnesses to the Book of Mormon. They all separated from Joseph Smith and the movie doesn’t shy away from that. The acting and production values are all also impressive with a Joseph Smith that looks a lot like a young James Marsden.

The problem is the narrative gets muddy and confusing and I can’t imagine anyone outside the church understanding what is happening or caring. Big things happen spiritually that don’t have the gravitas they should have especially when they are the subject of such persecution later.

I recommend it for members of the church that want to learn more about these key players in church history but that’s about it.

5.5 out of 10

Smile Worthy (Barely)

https://rachelsreviews.net/2021/07/17/c ... eviews-45/

[Tom]

Thanks for the update, Everybody Wang Chung.

I received an interesting phone call from the Relief Society sister in Parowan last night. It now seems that she's heard some good things about "the Witnesses talkie" and wishes to see it. After checking the Witnesses website, however, I had to inform her that the film is no longer playing at the Parowan Drive-In and Relief Society Bazaar and Swap Meet. (She would travel to Cedar City to see it, but she doesn't drive at her age.) In a very real sense, I think the Interpreter Foundation has forgotten the Relief Society sister in Parowan.

Friday, July 16, 2021

Gross: $5,447
Theaters: 21
Avg. Per Theater: $259
Total: $763,346
Day: 43

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Gross: $7,355
Theaters: 21
Avg. Per Theater: $350
Total: $770,701
Day: 44

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Gross: $674
Theaters: 21
Avg. Per Theater: $32
Total: $771,375
Day: 45

[Tom]

I must admit that the latest numbers are deeply troubling.
Rachel’s “fresh” review doesn’t seem to have helped, and I understand that the Relief Society sister in Parowan denounced the film during her ward’s “Share a Jello Salad” RS activity on Thursday (see my comment above).

Monday, July 19

Gross: $7,035
Theaters: 23
Avg. per theater: $305
Total: $778,410
Day: 46

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Gross: 4,314
Theaters: 23
Avg. per theater: $187
Total: $782,724
Day: 47

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Gross: $2,671
Theaters: 23
Avg per theater: $116
Total: $785,395
Day: 48

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Gross: $2,639
Theater: 23
Avg. per theater: $114
Total: $788,034
Day: 49