After Box Office Bummer, Whip It Heads Home
Following a brief and commercially disappointing North American theatrical engagement, Fox Searchlight today released Whip It on DVD and Blu-Ray in Canada. The US release will follow on January 26.
A sweet, smartly-told coming of age tale, Whip It features indy darling Ellen Page as a small-town Texas misfit who finds a new sense of self when a chance encounter with a few modern roller derby skaters leads her to join the new and lively sport and subculture. Also starring such notables as Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis, Kristin Wiig, and Alia Shawkat, Whip It marked Hollywood fixture Drew Barrymore's debut as a motion picture director.
The film met with broad critical approval before its October 2nd theatrical debut. Whip It notched an 82% overall approval rating on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 7 out of 10. Despite reviewer enthusiasm, Whip It failed to garner a significant audience in theaters, spending only three weeks in wide release before winding down to a 10-week final gross of just over $13 million, the 127th highest theatrical gross of 2009 -- that is to say, a poor commercial performance. Studios generally take about 60% of the gross, so Fox Searchlight will need to see solid DVD sales to recoup the film's $15 million production budget.
In the UK, distributor Lionsgate held the film's release several months. UK moviegoers finally get their chance to see Whip It in theaters starting April 9.
While Whip It wasn't a world-changing box office blockbuster, DNN hears that it's had some impact on bout attendance and league tryout turnouts. What was it like for your league? Please share your Whip It anecdotes in the comments below.
Comments
Anecdotally Speaking
Our group is in a relatively small market area. Before Whip It, our monthly fresh meat recruiting nights typically saw 4 to 6 people. We did fairly heavy cross promotion before the movie release with local theaters and rinks.
At our October fresh meat night we had 32 people. November brought us 24. December, 8.
Our recruiting boss likes to ask new folks how they heard of us. At the October post Whip It night she made a point to ask how many people became aware/interested because of the movie. Almost nobody responded, but it was pretty obvious the movie was at least partially responsible for our surge in recruits.
Thank you
Bazooka Joe
Pioneer Valley Roller Derby
Northampton, MA.
www.pioneervalleyrollerderby.com
I am stunned that it cost
I am stunned that it cost $15m to produce that movie. It's not like it had multiple exotic locations to get to, or lots of special effects, or a huge A-List cast to pay for.
Anyway, as far as impact on the WCR, Whip It (and the promotions the WCR was fortunate to participate in, in conjunction with the movie) caused a more than moderate bump in attendance for the one bout the WCR had after the release of the movie. Also, the WCR had a big bump in recruitment interest which I feel is directly correlated to the increased visibility the league/roller derby in general had in Chicago because of the promotional efforts and interest surrounding the movie.
The WCR are hoping to continue to build on their attendance "momentum" gained from the last home bout when the WCR's 2010 home-league season opens on the 30th.
Let's Go Manics!!!!!
I guess the time it took to
I guess the time it took to train the stars to skate meant that they were contracted to work on the film for longer than a 'normal' shoot, which presumably added a considerable amount to the cost...
Keep in mind...
The people you see on the screen are a fraction of the people involved in making a film. There are all sorts of people involved in logistics, airfare (and I don't think anyone traveled economy class) space rental, equipment rental, post production, pre-production, office costs, executive costs, paper clips...every tiny thing is rolled into the budget, and there's a labyrinth of studio/production company costs that are billed to the production hourly.
When you see some really low budget on a film, it means that a bunch of people worked significant numbers of hours without getting paid for that work. In particular, pre-production and research and development costs. But it also happens a lot in post production. It's also likely that labor laws were broken, although no one is ever busted on that unless the film makes money.
"Whip It," the aftermath
We at Silicon Valley Roller Girls definitely saw an uptick in interest as far as hits on our blog, post-movie bout attendance, and recruitment. We did some cross-promotional efforts, but I would guess that mostly people just went home from the theater (or after seeing a commercial) and Googled "__(city name)__ roller derby" to see what popped up. Most of the referrers to our blog were from search engines with similar terms.
Previously our recruitment meetings attracted 30-40 girls each time, with a dozen or less who actually stuck it out for boot camp. After "Whip It," I believe we had 130 people, although after the previewing process, only 35 of them have committed to bootcamp in January. Still, that is easily 3x what we had before.
I believe our team had the right approach as far as using the media surge to garner interest, but also presenting potential skaters with a healthy balance of both enthusiasm and reality. In anticipation of the flood of interest, I wrote a sort of caveat skate-or for our blog on what it really takes to play roller derby, and it garnered several hundred hits as well as a lot of interesting emails:
http://svrollergirls.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/roller-derby-how-to-get-st...
All in all, despite my personal disappointment with the movie itself, our team was happy with the wave of interest. Now it's on all of our shoulders to maintain the public interest and secure the future of roller derby.
Word,
Retox Fox, 90 Proof
Silicon Valley Roller Girls
Our first bout after Whip
Our first bout after Whip It's release was a Halloween mixer that featured a somewhat better-than-expected turnout ((i.e., not the type of numbers we'd expect from an intraleague doubleheader -- with the requisite friends & family components -- but respectable)). Our next home bout was an early December travel team bout which drew less than hoped for numbers. If i had to make a projection based on those two bouts alone ((which is obviously too small a sample to mean much)), i'd say that Whip It's attendance-bump was mild-to-moderate, and temporary. I am currently of the opinion that the sport of flat-track derby does not strongly resonate with the majority of the populace.
The biggest test is coming up
MRD is fortunate to have in-roads with a variety of local businesses, including movie theaters and concert promoters. So we did three separate appearances during the opening weekend & reached a wide variety of folks - Friday night was at a big multiplex (with lots of little girls ogling the skaters as they went to see "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"), Saturday was at Sundance Cinemas (who let us show our own "preview" before two of the screenings - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wffzf7Rg4s - curse words covered by car crashes, woot!), and Sunday was at the Juliette Lewis concert.
We saw decent upticks in our website visits & e-newsletter signups, and people did come to an open practice we had, and we did sell out our Holiday Bout (only 400 tickets, though). We also started our Facebook fan page around that time and have over 1700 fans so far. And the local newspaper called *us* about the DDs going to Nationals, which was a happy surprise (because we usually have to chase this paper down to give us coverage).
Our season opener is in three weeks. We had nearly 1,600 people last year b/c we got a lot of press for moving to a major venue in town. We're shooting for at least 2,500 this year - wish us luck!
Cheers,
Mo Juiced
Ridiculously obsessed PR manager, Mad Rollin' Dolls
Season Opener
Okay, we didn't get 2,500 butts in the seats. We only got about 2.300.
;)
It was AMAZING. Did "Whip It" have something to do with it? Probably. But I'm going to give most of the credit to the way the entire league came together and did everything they could to promote our bout, including carrying tickets around with them and selling directly to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and so on.
Words cannot describe how great of a night it was. Thanks to our sister leagues for coming out to support us, too! (Windy City, Brewcity, Stateline Derby Divas, Paper Valley, Fox Cityz, River Valley Roller Girls, and Rockford Rage.)
Reply
-I am currently of the opinion that the sport of flat-track derby does not strongly resonate with the majority of the populace.-
That's what makes derby so great! The majority of the populace are pretty much douchebags, imho.... (sorry masses) - I wouldn't want to be involved with anything that the masses approve of... :) They have no idea what they're missing...! And if they saw how much fun we have they'd try to screw it up, or obscenely capitalize on it, that's my guess....
*
-Bazooka Joe-
Kewl name!
Peace, Love and Anarchy!
∞♥☮∞ Sweet Alyce 3.14 ∞♥☮∞
http://sweetalyce.blogspot.com
http://mountainderbygirls.org
Our experience here.
We held our first bout back in April or May. Had the local shock-jock promoting it heavily, one of the teams was playing for his children's charity. That was at that point our best turnout to date, that's with semi-regular promotion on one of the most listened-to morning drive-time shows.
It's not terribly unusual for derby to draw huge crowds the first time out. People all have different ideas of what they're going to see. Once they figure out that it's not all smoking hot naked lesbians on rollerskates duking it out with chainsaws under the leadership of zombie Ann Calvello, there's going to be some drop-off. That's likely to happen with the crowd "Whip It!" adds to the mix. However, SOME of these people will stick with it.
Our last bout this season didn't have direct radio promotion, though I believe some promo tickets were given to a station or two to drum up interest. Our paid attendance was equal to or better than the first bout we ever did, and we had about 200 more comps between radio stations and our charity parterns. We set an attendance record of 1300+. Not bad for a first year league. Probably doesn't hurt that we're in a hockey town.
I imagine that some of those people will be coming back, and telling their friends to come check it out. The key in marketing derby is to find ways to draw people back in. And find ways to encourage fans to bring in new fans. If your fans are doing your marketing for you, and explaining the rules for you, you're golden.
lesbians on rollerskates with chainsaws and zombies and nudity
Once they figure out that it's not all smoking hot naked lesbians on rollerskates duking it out with chainsaws under the leadership of zombie Ann Calvello, there's going to be some drop-off.
Thank you for this.
But you have to admit...
Once they figure out that it's not all smoking hot naked lesbians on rollerskates duking it out with chainsaws under the leadership of zombie Ann Calvello, there's going to be some drop-off.
But you have to admit, *that* would make an awesome half-time show.
sign up today!
>> smoking hot naked lesbians on rollerskates duking it out with chainsaws
Fremont Street, here we come!
Whip It Review
According to me Whip it is not a bad movies at all. Ellen Page and Marcia Gay Harden were GREAT in this!, a solid movie with enjoyable memories.
Verdict: highly recommend this movie to one and all
Critics loved it too.
However, the box office wasn't so kind to it. I suppose it could sell well on DVD, in rentals and on cable?
And we're all bound to pick up a wider audience when all of those incremental steps happen.
Another thing to consider. No nudity in the sex scene or the hot tub scene. Maybe a few words would have to be bleeped or dubbed over with the likes of "flip you, melon farmer" if it shows on USA (let's see if anyone gets that obscure 80s reference).
In essence, it's the perfect movie for basic cable. Appeals to women, but has something to offer the guys as well. Maybe it'll go all "A Christmas Story" us. A movie nobody saw in the theaters but everyone eventually sees? Never know.
Sell well on DVD?
I don't think so, at least not right away. The DVD has an MSRP of $29.99, while the Blue-Ray is $39.99. Pretty pricey. Maybe after a few months when the price drops.
About the DVD
It's not for sale or rent anywhere that I've been in person.
The price could be a factor there. Then again, they know they have a captive audience who wants to own the film, and an even larger audience that they're pretty sure isn't at all interested.
Blockbuster in my area doesn't have it for sale or rent, though they do have the book on display (oddly enough). I guess I'll have to check for it at Borders.
Next Week
According to this site it'll be available on the 26th.
Actually...
The site we're on right now says the same thing. I guess I failed to read the first paragraph.
MSRP = nonsense
The street price will be just like any other typical video release.
Not that good yet.
$19reg/25blu on Amazon, $23reg/36blu on Deep Discount. We'll see what happens with Target.
Community Service
Do not fall victim to a bad Google search. I hit Google Products and searched for "'whip it' dvd" and sorted by price.
I want my innocence back.
On in the background on a Saturday for years go come?
I do think that this movie, even for the majority of the world who did not go see it, was a moment of awareness and acceptance for derby. It mainstreamed derby a bit, if just for the fact people heard there was a movie with Drew Barrymore about women's roller derby. I think that in general makes more people curious and willing or interested in checking it out.
Guessing down the road it'll play on cable a gazillion times on Saturday afternoons, too.
Bought It
Dropped the $25 at Target for the Blu-Ray. I'll probably watch it within the next week. One interesting thing is the BD release comes with a "Digital Copy" so you can put it on your PC or iPod. Neat little option if you didn't spring for the Blu-Ray reader in your computer.
Oh, and the reason I bought it at $25 rather than waiting for it to drop to $10 is that it helps inflate the sales numbers for the movie. Sure it's just $15 for me, but if others do the same thing it'll help make the movie appear more popular to the bean counters.
Special Features?
Dropped the $25 at Target for the Blu-Ray. I'll probably watch it within the next week. One interesting thing is the BD release comes with a "Digital Copy" so you can put it on your PC or iPod. Neat little option if you didn't spring for the Blu-Ray reader in your computer.
Oh, and the reason I bought it at $25 rather than waiting for it to drop to $10 is that it helps inflate the sales numbers for the movie. Sure it's just $15 for me, but if others do the same thing it'll help make the movie appear more popular to the bean counters.
Is there anything in the way of bonus features on this release? I'm getting the impression that there isn't from the Amazon listing and reviews.
Not a lot
Just some deleted scenes and a featurette with Shauna Cross. I can check to see if there's more when I get around to watching it.
Digital Video Disappointment.
The regular DVD release has no commentary track and lacks the Shauna Cross interview. It only has the deleted scenes.
I'd be outraged, but that's someone else's gig.
coming of age
Of course there's no evidence of any correlation to Whip It, but I've been noticing a rapidly increasing number of junior derby leagues cropping up in places like Fort Wayne, Indiana, Johnson City, Tennessee and Edmonton, Alberta in recent months. Perhaps the ultimate impact of the film will be less immediate but no less important than many expected.
Whip it is in for the long haul
Whip it was a nice serviceable derby film. ( I don't think anyone is going to argue accuracy, its close enough for jazz) that had the misfortune to go up against
"Zombieland" which was the steamroller film of Oct. 2k9.
I was at a theater that had midnite screenings of both films side by side, and there was total support for whip it from the local flat trackers, on the sidewalks, in the lobby, even to the point they even invaded the Zombieland auditorium to pass out flyers while people were waiting for the lights to go down.
Whip it should have been a summer film, and had Fox Searchlight still been under the guiding hand of certain former executives, it might have been.
The perfect ( hate this term) synergy of age group, free time and in many places, derby hiatus. Not unlike the inexplicable SEPTEMBER release of "Blue Crush" a few years ago... Hello? a surf movie AFTER summer is over?
Another simple case of the studio totally misreading their demographic.
They didn't realize that the same people who would see a roller derby film might also
want to see a fast, witty zombie flick with strong female leads, & funny cute guys.
I've heard the same story over and over of non derby girls who were definitely keen
to see Whip it, but who's friends, boy and girl alike, wanted to see Zombies. My own godson told me point blank he'd rather see Woody making like Mickey Knox again.
( "hey", I reasoned, "Whip it has Juliette doing her own hint of Mallory...")
When many of the above finally got around to wanting to see the derby film, it had either moved on to second run houses, or been dropped.
Sadly, nowadays even 2 slow weeks is enough to bump you off the marquee of a multiplex.
And how many of us across the country saw the same 'clever' tag in the weekly entertainment section film standings "Zombies eat Rollergirls" whoa. clever much?
Which all lead to the usual - say it with me gang- "Oh well, I'll see it on video".
Where it will pretty much flourish. Once the price point drops, - and it will- Whip it will be selling for 10.00 at Target and Wal Mart. not to mention bundled into twofer packs with Juno. ( Bet me. ) Its going to be in tons of Christmas stockings and tucked into more than a few protec starter helmets and Riedell boxes.
There's already been a slew of derby bar screenings, slumber parties and when HBO
sets it into infinity rotation... well, so much the better.
I'm not going to be the least bit surprised when Drew & Shauna's baby hits its stride as a nice little semi cult film. Whip it, as a whole may turn out to be the most pricey "guerrilla" marketing job that derby has ever had. The mother of all flyers. But it's going to do what it was meant to do at the core. Get Roller Derby out there. The fact that it entertains in the process doesn't exactly hurt either.
PS to Poobah, if you read this:
Flip you too, melon farmer. 'Not the only one watchin' broadcast TV late at night.
drinkin BEER and eatin FOOD. Mm-mm..
Delta
So, I just got back yesterday from a business trip to Toulouse, and the first (of four) film Delta showed on the Paris -> Atlanta flight? Yep, Whip It. Which I hadn't gotten around to seeing, so that was kinda cool. (I also happened to be wearing a DRD T-shirt, but nobody noticed.)
It was "edited for content," plus it was shown just as they were serving food, and my neighbor had to squeeze past me to use the restroom, etcetera etcetera, so I still need to watch it "for real." I found it appropriately amusing, though, and respectful of derby. They never get around to talking about calling off jams (probably cut for length and/or audience confusion potential), so some people may end up wondering why the jammers keep hitting their hips like that... Anyway, it pretty much met my modest expectations.
The bottom line is, this is at least one way the film is going to end up before several thousand additional eyeballs.