*The two movies coming out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival with the most buzz are “Dope” and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.” With both films there’s enthusiasm that they could be the much-needed wake-up call for this year’s so-far coma-inducing independent film scene.
We had the pleasure of chatting with the “Dope” cast recently, after a screening of the hilarious coming-of-age teen comedy. Written and directed Rick Famuyiwa, about an inner-city teen (Shameik Moore) trying to get into college against all odds, “Dope” received a rave reception at Cannes, after which, Open Road won a Sundance bidding war, acquiring the film with Sony, which will handle foreign distribution, for $7 million, plus $20 million in marketing. “Dope” opens June 19.
When studios passed on “Dope” because they “didn’t get it” – Rick and his team turned the independent route, which allowed him to maintain creative control.
We asked “Dope” producers, Nina Yang Bongiovi and actor Forest Whitaker, why they took on the project. Forest said:
“Rick brought the project to us, Rick had an idea, we talked to him about it, he had a look-book that he put together of what he wanted to do, so ultimately, through the process of it, we decided to produce this film. We saw it could be a great-great film.”
Nina added:
“I love the fact that it was a unique story and Rick giving voice to characters that I haven’t seen in the marketplace for a long time. So Forest and I discussed, ‘ya know-we should go for this.’”
“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is a touching comedy about the friendship between an awkward high school senior (Thomas Mann) who spends most of his time making parodies of classic films and a gravely ill classmate (Olivia Cooke). It won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Audience Awards and was acquired for $12 million at the festival by Fox Searchlight, it debuted in limited release on Friday. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and adapted by Jesse Andrews from his 2012 novel, the studio plans to continue building the buzz before going nationwide with the film.
The Wrap reports that indie films can be ideal counter-programming to summer’s superhero romps and mega-sequels like Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World,” which opens Friday. So far this year, no limited-release film has taken off in terms of awards-level buzz or box office.
We asked Forest if he believes the indie film market and process is different now compared to 20 years ago when he did the epic drama “The Crying Game,” he said:
“There is a similarity but it is very different, no one called it independent film. I think when I did “The Crying Game,” which is one of the first, sort-of perennial independent films, we were just trying to raise money, and trying to figure out how to get the movie made – which is what I think is a constant with independent filmmakers.”
Nina added, “I think the independent landscape has shifted quite a bit because ever since the 2008-2009 economy crash, people are a lot more careful about investing in independent film because it is high risk, but then sometimes people are like, “oh, I made this independent film for $25 million!” – and I’m like, that’s not an independent film.”
The decision to roll out “Dope” widely rather than with a gradual release was easy, said Jason Cassidy, Open Road’s marketing president: “We see a great opportunity, and it warrants it because it’s fresh and funny and the testing numbers are incredible,” he said. “It’s a multi-cultural film that we think will appeal to African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian audiences, and there’s nothing like it in the market, so we wanted to give it every chance to break out.”
Considering the hype and positive reviews, we’re hopeful “Dope” and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” will resuscitate the summer indie box office.
Click here to read our exclusive interview with the “Dope” cast.
UPDATE: “Me And Earl And The Dying Girl” opened (June 12) in 15 theaters in New York, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Washington, D.C. grossing $210K for a $14K PTA (per theater average). The title increased 10% Friday to Saturday. Searchlight’s Frank Rodriguez said, “We are happy to have launched the picture amid the terrific reviews and great audience response.”
Searchlight plans to add 10 markets next weekend, while expanding in current locales. It will be in 60-70 theaters by June 19.
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