Well, it looks like I'm going to be making that 35-mile trek down to New Rochelle after all. George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead has taken in $225,000 in 42 theaters over it's opening limited-release weekend. That breaks down to a minimally respectable $5,357.14 per-screen average. Not too bad for a small-budget horror film, but keep in mind that's about $300 per screening, which isn't all that great, either. Especially for a movie by a cult favorite director like Romero. The bottom line is that it doesn't appear as though the film will be getting that wide release after all.So why didn't enough of you get out there to support this flick in the towns in which it was released? I guess one of the reasons may be Land of the Dead's tepid reception in the fan community. There's also the DVD factor--a lot of people out there just aren't motivated enough to see a movie like this in the theater. That leads me to draw the sad conclusion that there may not be enough died-in-the-wool Romero supporters left out there to make a theatrical release worthwhile. I guess everyone's saving up their dough for Saw XXVII. Too bad.
As for me, I'll be hopping in the Solomobile Thursday night for the big trip to Westchester. Wish me luck!