Warm Welcome For Climate Change Doc ‘The Territory’ – Specialty Box Office
22.08.2022 - 00:39
/ deadline.com
The Picturehouse release of National Geographic Documentary Films The Territory grossed a solid $26.4K in six markets (eight screens) for a PSA of $3,308 with its climate change message attracting a broader than typical age range for a theatrical doc, especially lately, according to Picturehouse CEO Bob Berney.
He called it “very encouraging to see younger people attending and asking for ways they can help support the indigenous people of Brazil… The film is a call to action as well as a beautifully crafted work.”
The first feature by Alex Pritz, produced by Darren Aronofsky and Sigrid Dyekjaer, follows the fight of the indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people in Brazil – less than 190 of them – against land-grabbing incursions of non-native farmers causing major deforestation. “We are getting a kind of younger activist demographic that is really nice to see. And obviously in New York we also had a lot of Brazilians that came, because there is a community there.” The doc, which also played LA (Laemmle Monica, AMC Burbank), Seattle, Austin, Vancouver and Toronto, expands next week to about 90 theaters in 50 markets.
“I was really happy with the number. You just never know with a documentary,” Berney told Deadline. “The indie and arthouse market has been tough.”
The Territory won the Special Jury Award for Documentary Craft and World Cinema Documentary Audience Award at Sundance. An unusual element is that it was co-produced by the Uru-eu-wau-wau community with gripping verité-style footage, in part because Covid restrictions interrupted the crew’s travel.
Audiences are asking to help, Berney said, and they have an outlet in NatGeo’s Impact group. “They can volunteer, send money, a lot of options to go beyond seeing the film.”
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