Expanded screening

With exceptional word-of-mouth, remarkable single-theater performance, focal point gatherings, and sustained popularity, "Buried" had undoubtedly secured an excellent position, all set except for the crucial push.

What's more, the sole new release for the next week, "Saw 3D", could be considered the weakest contender in the next two months.

This was the seventh installment in the series, and the box office results of the previous two sequels had been unsatisfactory. However, due to their low production costs and simple strategies, Lionsgate churned out one film after another. Yet, in terms of box office impact, it could be said that they had run out of steam. This time, they were banking entirely on the gimmick of 3D, hoping to boost box office numbers.

This was undoubtedly the best opportunity for "Buried". Missing this window would mean facing a series of powerful competitors' onslaughts. Relying solely on word-of-mouth propagation, achieving box office miracles for "Buried" would be difficult, and its prospects would immediately dim.

However, nobody had anticipated that Focus Features would reject widespread expansion. In the fourth week of October, they had only increased the theater count by ten, from eleven to twenty-one, and still confined the screenings to Los Angeles and New York, conducting a second week of limited preview. Compared to the attention "Buried" had received the previous week, this expansion was nearly negligible.

Focus Features' decision left people puzzled, causing them to wonder: Was it because Focus Features was ill-prepared and hadn't anticipated the tremendous response to "Buried", leading them to miss the timing?

However, seasoned players like Focus Features didn't just hold internal screenings, gather data, and then formulate corresponding expansion plans; they also made multiple preparations, ready to respond immediately to unforeseen circumstances.

So, did this mean that Focus Features was proceeding according to a carefully designed plan?

If that was indeed the case, then Focus Features was truly shrewd and strategic!

Because, in the fourth week of October, the single-theater box office performance of "Buried" not only didn't decline due to the increase in venues, but it surged upward, replicating the feat achieved by "The Blair Witch Project" eleven years ago. Moreover, with a single-theater revenue of $50,700, it surpassed last year's weekly single-theater box office for "Paranormal Activity", securing the third spot in the history of single-theater box office for horror-thriller films!

In fact, this was not hard to understand; it could be summarized as: hungry marketing.

The more limited, exclusive, precious, and hard-to-get something was, the more attention it garnered. After weeks of explosive acclaim, the accumulated word-of-mouth from Toronto and St. Louis finally erupted. People's expectations for "Buried" skyrocketed. Regardless of whether they liked it or agreed with it, everyone decided to personally step into the theater to judge it for themselves.

Moreover, "Buried" wasn't the type of solemn and artistic film that typically thrived during the awards season. Although it was receiving rave reviews, it was still a horror-thriller film. In other words, it was a popcorn movie, which further increased its appeal to the average audience.

However, Focus Features was going against the grain, refusing a wide expansion. They continued to limit the preview screenings to Los Angeles and New York, the two cities with the strongest artistic atmosphere, the most sophisticated audience, and the most outstanding artistic aesthetic abilities. This approach attracted numerous experienced cinephiles to the theaters while further spreading the word-of-mouth.

The most tangible reflection was seen in the IMDb audience rating, which experienced a qualitative leap. The number of rating participants broke through three thousand, with over three thousand six hundred netizens casting their votes. Compared to the previous week, this marked an increase of more than five times. Simultaneously, the rating dropped from 8.5 to 8.4, although the average score declined, the decrease was marginal and well within an acceptable range. This further confirmed that fans affirmed the quality of "Buried".

It was well-known that on IMDb, a larger proportion of ratings came from seasoned users. Los Angeles and New York were undoubtedly among the top gathering spots for such experienced users. If the quality of "Buried" was indeed exceptional, the professional cinephiles in these two cities would provide more nuanced opinions, further solidifying the film's reputation. Of course, if "Buried" couldn't withstand scrutiny, these discerning and demanding internet users would not hesitate to send it to oblivion.

This was Focus Features' strategy, revealing their absolute confidence in the quality of "Buried".

As a result, the second week of "Buried" ushered in a miraculous comeback. Not only did it set new records for single-theater box office, but its excellent reputation also spread even further. This tightrope-like victory truly established the renown of "Buried", causing its name to resonate throughout North America.

Now, more and more people were likening "Buried" to "127 Hours".

Although a similar situation had occurred in Toronto before, due to inherent limitations of "Buried" and facing the duo of Danny Boyle and James Franco in "127 Hours", coupled with the latter's quality that had won over critics' fervent acclaim, such comparisons had only generated buzz in Toronto and disappeared upon entering the North American market.

However, the current circumstances were entirely different.

Although the media's aggregate reviews from professional critics only garnered a 69% score, making it difficult to compete with "127 Hours", this was already an excellent achievement for a horror-thriller film. It was second only to "The Exorcist". It even surpassed esteemed works like "The Sixth Sense" and "The Shining", indicating that the doorway to the awards season had slowly opened.

Furthermore, the fervent acclaim from the audience was progressively escalating. In the dire situation of being confined in a room, "Buried" managed to perform a roller-coaster symphony of twists and turns through a one-man show. People didn't believe "127 Hours" could surpass "Buried", nor did they believe James Franco's performance could surpass that of Renly.

"127 Hours" was about to hit the North American market next week, premiering in four theaters, creating anticipation.

Fox Searchlight realized that such a showdown could attract more attention to both films. So, they discreetly shifted resources, sparking the rivalry between "Buried" and "127 Hours". Coupled with Focus Features' initiative, both movies truly became the talk of the town. Who would emerge victorious remained uncertain.

A newcomer director, a rookie cast, an inexperienced screenwriter, a fresh team—before "Buried" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, little was known about the film. But now, "Buried" had silently entered the awards season spotlight and was locking horns with "127 Hours". Such expansion steps were conceivable.

With a new high of $50,700 in single-theater revenue, "Buried" gained momentum, achieving a weekend box office of $1,006,000, firmly securing a place among the top 15 films in North American weekend box office rankings for the week and temporarily holding the 12th spot!

As anticipated, "Saw 3D" did indeed struggle at the box office, only managing a weekend gross of $22M. It narrowly surpassed "Paranormal Activity 2", which saw a 60% drop in its second week, and claimed the crown for the October's fourth week North American weekend box office.

Of course, considering the film's budget of $20M, "Saw 3D" shouldn't have difficulty recouping its costs. However, if it aimed to turn a profit, it would need to put in more effort.

Undoubtedly, among the top thirty films on the box office chart, "Buried", the sole movie that made an upward surge, once again secured the title of the most attention-grabbing focal point. For a film that was still in the limited release stage, this was unquestionably a dream-like victory. It also heightened expectations for the film's subsequent box office trajectory.

In the following week, Focus Features finally expanded screenings to other cities, conducting limited releases in Seattle, Chicago, and Houston. Combined with the prior showings in Los Angeles and New York, the film was now screened in a total of fifty-three theaters.

However, the North American box office market for the week was a battlefield. Three new films were set to screen in over three thousand theaters each: DreamWorks' "Megamind", the collaboration between the team behind "The Hangover" and Robert Downey Jr. for "Due Date", and the strong entry of Tyler Perry's comedy "For Colored Girls". The competition was undeniably fierce.

Furthermore, besides these, four art films including "127 Hours" were also set for limited releases. The fervor of the awards season was gradually unfolding, and upcoming awards season films were becoming increasingly dense, with the competition intensifying. In the midst of this dazzling array of awards season contenders, standing out would certainly not be an easy feat.

In light of this, the position of "Buried" was somewhat awkward. If assessed as an awards season contender, it was too commercial and lacked profound depth in its themes. Moreover, the horror genre wasn't well-received by the Oscars. However, if viewed as a commercial film, it was still somewhat niche. "A one-man show set in a confined space?" That sounded more like a theatrical style, which might not resonate with the market.

Facing this competition, "127 Hours" perfectly capitalized on the buzz from the previous week. Premiering in four theaters, it garnered $66,000 in single-theater box office, effectively converting audience attention into substantial revenue, effortlessly outdoing "Buried". Simultaneously, the media reviews unsurprisingly overshadowed it.

With a media composite score of 82, a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 93%, and an audience score of 8.3, "127 Hours" not only led ahead of "Buried", but also held an overwhelming advantage. In the face of "127 Hours" sweeping the field with its acclaim, "Buried" had no means to retaliate.

So, what did this signify? Did it mean that "Buried" was completely incapable of competing with "127 Hours" in the awards season race? Did it mean that "127 Hours" would easily outshine its competitors in the North American box office battle?

The awards season had yet to reach a conclusion, but in terms of box office competition, clearly, things were different.

For the third consecutive week, "Buried" turned in astounding single-theater box office figures. With the support of fifty-three theaters, it achieved an average of $41,100 per theater, reaping a weekend box office of $2.18M! Its performance was undeniably explosive.