The Missing

  • the missing 2003 box office
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    [Total: 8 Average: 3.1]
  • Directed By: Ron Howard
  • Written By: Ken Kaufman
  • Release Date: November 26, 2003
  • Domestic Distributor: Sony
  • Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood

Box Office Info:
Budget: $65 million Financed by: Revolution Studios; Sony
Domestic Box Office: $27,011,180 Overseas Box Office: $11,353,09


After Ron Howard left the production of The Alamo due to budget disputes with Disney, he took this western project to Universal, but they passed on The Missing.  Howard then took the pic to the soon to be doomed Revolution Studios, who financed The Missing for $65 million — a questionable budget for the western genre which usually has limited appeal in the domestic market and practically none overseas.  Revolution had a financing slate deal with Sony, which would contribute 42.5% of the budget and 100% of the marketing costs.

Sony originally dated The Missing for an award qualifying limited release on December 10, with a wide release scheduled for January 9, 2004.  The studio then pushed it forward to a NY/LA release on November 19 and a wide bow on November 26 — over the Thanksgiving frame.  The limited release was then scrapped and Sony kept the wide holiday date.

It opened against The Haunted Mansion, Bad Santa and Timeline and received mixed reviews.  The Missing was booked into 2,756 theaters and pulled in $10,833,633 — placing #7 for the weekend led by the holdover The Cat In The Hat, which was also produced by Brian Grazer.  The film proved to have terrible legs and collapsed 62.8% the following weekend to $4,034,563 and then dropped 62.4% in its the third weekend to $1,516,818 and promptly lost most of its theater count.  The Missing flopped out of release with $27,011,180.

Overseas, the film pulled in a poor $11,353,097 with $3 million from Australia posting the highest gross.  The worldwide total was $38.3 million and Sony would see back about $21 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not even cover the P&A expenses.  Revolution Studios had a disastrous 2003, with the huge failures of Gigli, Hollywood HomicideTears of the Sun and they capped off the year with The Missing and Peter Pan.

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