Here’s something absolutely nobody is talking about. Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” has been playing in L.A, Toronto, Chicago, Austin and New York since December 23rd and it’s looking like a total box-office bomb.
“Women Talking” has made $175k in just under 12 days of theatrical showings. Yes, it’s just playing in eight theaters at the moment, but it’s per-theater-average is absolutely brutal at $6500 per theater. It goes to wider release in two weeks.
You’d think Oscar buzz and a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes would mean something, not to mention a cast that includes Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley, but forget about it. The thing is nobody wants to pay to see #MeToo misery porn on-screen.
Who wants to catch a stagey movie centered on Mennonite women, from an isolated religious community, coming to terms with being raped and basically talking about escape for close to 90 minutes? Maybe critics don’t mind that, but the rest of the country? Tough sell.
This is supposed to be a Best Picture contender.