Stranger Fruit

So maybe I’m missing something but … Expelled took in $3 million over the weekend. With over 1000 theaters and three days, that comes to ~$1000 per theater per day. At approximately $5 a ticket, that means we’re looking at roughly 200 people seeing the movie per day per theater. Maybe 50 people tops per showing. Doesn’t seem like enough to have theaters retain the movie into next weekend.

Opines Dembski:

Expelled’s impact will be felt immediately. But its long-term impact will be even greater. The film opens with documentary footage of the Berlin Wall going up and closes with it coming down. The day Darwinism and Intelligent Design can be fairly discussed without fear of reprisal represents the removal of a barrier even greater than the Berlin Wall. When future intellectual historians describe the key events that led to the fall of “Darwin’s Wall,” Ben Stein’s Expelled will top the list.

Somehow I doubt that.

Comments

#1 Laelaps
April 21, 2008

“At approximately $5 a ticket”

I wish! Prices just shot up around here again, so $10 is about the lowest there is. Still, Expelled already seems to be going downhill, and I don’t think it’s going to have much staying power in theaters.
#2 The Ethical Atheist
April 21, 2008

Wow. Here tickets are at 4 bucks a movie.
#3 windy
April 21, 2008

“When future intellectual historians describe the key events that led to the fall of “Darwin’s Wall,” Ben Stein’s Expelled will top the list.”

Ben Stein, the David Hasselhoff of creationism.
#4 J-Dog
April 21, 2008

Once the Church buses stop running the rubes into the Big City to save The Baby Jesus, this turn will be flushed and finished.

Oh. And Dembski? Is your Berlin Wall Metaphor = Waterloo? (Snarky reference to Dembski’s prediction about a win in Dover…)

ps: EVEN DAVESCOT Springer, Dembski’s long-time pet autocratic UD Blog Czar, thinks that Expelled’s Evolution = Nazism meme is bogus… Way to go, and hats-off to DaveScot. Maybe you CAN turn away from the Dark Side!
#5 rpenner
April 21, 2008

$7 per movie, for the 11:30 matinee.
#6 rpenner
April 21, 2008

Dembski writes:

Who’s right? That’s the wrong question.

That’s a way to have a debate, deny that the question has merit, despite holding strong opinions.

He then goes on to have a riduculous straw-man of the scientific method, which I shall paraphrase as “Since science admits that current theories may well change in the future, they are wrong to not embrace any new theory because of its newness.” — But that’s exactly what you get when you say “That’s the wrong question.” to a True/False issue of fact.

Dembski’s big tent happily admits both truth and falsehood as long as those in the tent stay on message that they are being unfairly persecuted. But there is nothing unfair about a fictional persecution — telling fictions is another matter.
#7 more of a tech guy
April 21, 2008

rpenner:

Dembski’s big tent happily admits both truth and falsehood as long as those in the tent stay on message that they are being unfairly persecuted.

Not entirely. Those who are persecuted because they taught or defended evolution are excluded. Methinks his main concern is not academic freedom.
#8 Michele
April 21, 2008

It is showing on one screen here in San Francisco (Loews). The matinee price there is $8.50. Although I am curious about the film, I don’t want to pay $8.50 nor do I want to give any money to the filmmakers.

Several people gave it 5 stars on Eopinions.
#9 idahogie
April 21, 2008

It’s showing at our local multiplex in Idaho Falls ($7.50 regular price). Would it be wrong of me to buy a ticket to one movie that I think has merit (“Nim’s Island”) but watch Expelled instead?
#10 sidelined
April 21, 2008

Well according to the website Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/
Expelled has managed to bring in the following

Opening Weekend: $2,970,848
(1,052 theaters, $2,824 average)
% of Total Gross: 100.0%
Widest Release: 1,052 theaters
In Release: 3 days / 0.4 weeks

Do the math and I believe you can agree we can comfortably put this hackneyed film to rest and ignore the rabid dogs supporting the effort as they slip back into their comfortable catatonic state.

I wonder how much of a loss this will ultimately turn into?
#11 Kris
April 21, 2008

idahogie—

Yes, it would be wrong! If you follow your proposed plan, you have to watch a really, really bad movie!
#12 rpenner
April 21, 2008

Ah, the Metreon — shiny black Sony super-mall.

Michele could BART to the Berkeley stop and walk 2 blocks south to the Berkeley 7. (one screen, $7 matinee, security literally walks through twice during the feature to check doors and look for people who would rather blog on their iPhones than watch the movie.)

I should write up my experience — is anyone actually good at taking notes in a dark theater?
#13 Jim Lippard
April 21, 2008

The weekend estimates were over $3 million, but the actuals didn’t quite hit it. “Expelled” took in $2,970,848 ($2,824 per-theater average). It peaked on Friday and dropped Saturday and further still on Sunday–and no doubt further still today. It came in at #10 for its opening weekend (being passed by “Horton Hears a Who” on Saturday and by “Leatherheads” on Sunday).
#14 jetmags73
April 21, 2008

Why the hell is anyone wasting their life giving time to Dembski? This is the same schmuck who looked forward to the time when “Evolutionists would be SUBPOENAED for their views…on that happy day, I assure you, they wont come off looking well.”

That day actually came in the Kitzmiller case. The scientists WERE subpoenaed, and so was Dembski! The scientists testified and came off kicking ass….Dembski peed his pants and ran off 3 days before his testimony date.

If I were Dembski, I would not even be able to show my face waiting for the bus, let alone online. What a dishonest, revolting skunk.
#15 FastLane
April 22, 2008

Doesn’t Dembski still owe someone a bottle of scotch from his last failed prediction, or doI have him confused with another IDiot?

I don’t think I’m even going to bother seeing this travesty of a film. And if I do, I certainly won’t pay for it.

Cheers.
#16 mark
April 22, 2008

I hope they include a bonus DVD when they send me a free copy of The Atlas of Creation.
#17 Barron
April 22, 2008

“When future intellectual historians describe the key events that led to the fall of “Darwin’s Wall,” Ben Stein’s Expelled will top the list.”

How long has Dembski been writing Mary Sue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue) stories?