Lassie
Rate Movie[Total: 4 Average: 3.3]
- Directed By: Charles Sturridge
- Written By: Eric Knight, Charles Sturridge
- Release Date: September 1, 2006
- Domestic Distributor: IDP
- Cast: Peter O’Toole, Samantha Morton, John Lynch
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $20 million | Financed by: Firstsight Films; Classic Media |
|---|---|
| Domestic Box Office: $652,163 | Overseas Box Office: $5,790,691 |
The budget for Lassie was $20 million and it was financed by Firstsight Films and Classic Media.
Odyssey Entertainment handled worldwide sales, which kicked off at the 2004 American Film Market. Sales to distributors covered the majority of the budget for Firstsight and Classic. However, Lassie did not land a US distributor during pre-sales and the plan was to hold buyers screenings of the movie after it was completed and possibly open as an end of the year holiday release in 2005. All of the majors passed on the picture and IDP (Samuel Goldwyn and Roadside Attractions joint distribution) acquired US rights.
A few months before its release, a major product placement deal was set where the famous canine would have its own line of dog food, Lassie Natural Way (still on the market and its junk — your dog deserves better food). Lassie received strong notices from critics and IDP booked it in 169 theaters over the slow Labor Day frame and it pulled in $254,420 with a poor $1,505 per screen average. The terrible opening nixed a theater expansion. The pic declined 50.2% in its second frame to $126,600 and quietly closed its run with only $652,163.
Entertainment distributed in the UK and saw $2,236,185 which posted the strongest worldwide numbers. Lassie‘s overseas cume was a small $5.7 million across numerous distributors and it went straight to video in Germany.