Evolution

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    [Total: 12 Average: 3.3]
  • Directed By: Ivan Reitman
  • Written By: Don Jakoby, David Diamond, David Weissman
  • Release Date: June 8, 2001
  • Domestic Distributor: DreamWorks
  • Cast: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott

Box Office Info:
Budget: $80 million Financed by: Sony; DreamWorks
Domestic Gross: $38,345,494 Overseas Gross: $60,030,798


Evolution was budgeted at $80 million and the film was originally going to be financed fully by DreamWorks, but in late 2000 the project became packaged with two other movies as a co-financing and foreign distribution arrangement with Sony.  A few weeks before Almost Famous was set to open in 2000, DreamWorks became nervous about that picture’s budget overages, which grew to over $60 million and to mitigate their risk they courted Sony to buy the overseas rights.  Sony cut DreamWorks a $100 million check and $35 million would go toward the foreign rights for Almost Famous, $55 million would go to Evolution and the rest would go to the low budget An Everlasting Piece.

DreamWorks handled domestic distribution and first dated the movie for July 13 and then bumped it up to June 8, where it would open against Swordfish.  Evolution was heavily marketed and was tracking for success, but received poor reviews and came in below expectations with $13,408,351 — placing #4 for the weekend led by Swordfish and DreamWork’s hit Shrek in its fourth frame.  Evolution had poor legs and declined 50.7% to $6,615,219 the following weekend and fell 50.3% in its third frame to $3,287,925.  The domestic run closed with a very disappointing $38,345,494.  DreamWorks would see returned about $21 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not cover their P&A expenses or any of their exposure to the budget.  The mini-major had two major box office wipeouts in 2001 — Evolution and The Last Castle.

The film fared a bit better overseas for Sony, but it pulled in mostly soft numbers in most markets for a film of this expense.  The offshore cume stalled at $60 million.

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