Child 44
Rate Movie[Total: 8 Average: 2]
- Directed By: Daniel Espinosa
- Written By: Richard Price
- Release Date: April 17, 2015
- Domestic Distributor: Lionsgate
- Cast: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $50 million | Financed by: Summit; Worldview Entertainment; Hunan |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $1,224,330 | Overseas Gross: $11,726,763 |
Child 44 was originally set up at FOX 2000 which won the novel’s bidding rights back in 2007 and Ridley Scott was set to direct. Scott eventually backed out of directing duties and FOX dropped the project. Summit/Lionsgate eventually took control of the property.
The budget for Child 44 was $50 million and co-financed by Summit Entertainment, Worldview Entertainment and the China based Hunan. Lionsgate, which absolved Summit back in 2012, pre-sold the film well to overseas distributors. Pre-sales covered 70% of the expenses and Lionsgate’s exposure to the budget was a reported $4 million to $5 million,
with the rest spread across Worldview and Hunan. Worldview Entertainment’s main backer, Sarah Johnson had filed suit against Worldview for fraud and mismanagement and was one of four cases of litigation against the company which has since stopped operating.
In an early 2015 quarter financial investor relations report by Lionsgate, Child 44 was being pushed as part of their aggressive franchise expansion model and had ambitious plans for the movie which is based on a trilogy of books. Child 44 joined Mortdecai, American Ultra and The Last Witch Hunter as failed Lionsgate franchises in 2015.
Initially planned as a wide release in the US, Lionsgate dumped the picture with blink and you miss it marketing and all of 80 national TV ad spots. It opened on April 17 and was booked into only 510 theaters and received poor reviews. Child 44 pulled in a dismal $621,812 with a $1,219 per screen average. It sank 67.2% in its second frame to $203,649 and Child 44 was pulled from all, but 24 theaters going in its third weekend. The domestic run closed after its fourth week with just $1,224,330.
Overseas, Child 44 pulled in a poor $11.7 million across numerous distributors who overpaid for the mid-budget production, with a weak $2 million from the UK as the highest offshore gross.