“Song Sung Blue,” the new Oscar contender starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as real-life Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder, didn’t quite strike gold at the North American box office after opening in theaters Christmas Day. But distributor Focus Features has no reason to feel blue.
The biopic from writer/director Craig Brewer grossed $12 million at the box office across the four-day weekend, including Christmas, according to Variety. The film ranked eighth at the box office during that time, behind fellow Christmas Day releases “Marty Supreme,” another Oscar hopeful starring Timothée Chalamet which came in at third; and “Anaconda,” a comedy reboot of a 1997 thriller with Jack Black and Paul Rudd, which came in fifth.
Other films that topped “Blue” at the box office included holdovers “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (first), “Zootopia 2” (second), the thriller “The Housemaid” (fourth), and animated family films “David” and “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants” (sixth and seventh).
But don’t count “Blue” out yet. Audiences are loving “Blue,” giving the film a glowing “A” CinemaScore rating, with the film also meriting an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes’ “Popcorn Meter,” which gauges user reviews. (The critical consensus for the film is also strong at Rotten Tomatoes, at 75%.) It also cost $30 million to make, Variety reports, lower than “Anaconda” and “Marty Supreme,” making a return on investment easier to reach.
Variety reports that 53% of ticket buyers for “Blue” were above the age of 55, a demographic “who take their time getting to the cinema,” David A. Gross, who runs movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, told Variety. In other words, the film is well positioned to keep selling tickets thanks to strong word of mouth. That’s what happened for Jackman’s last musical film, “The Greatest Showman,” which brought in just $8.8 million in its first weekend ahead of Christmas in 2017, before word of mouth earned the film $174 million in North American theaters and nearly $435 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
Based on a 2008 documentary by Greg Kohs also called “Song Sung Blue,” the new “Blue” follows the ups and downs of married Milwaukee musicians Mike and Claire Sardina, from becoming a popular live act in town (including a performance with Pearl Jam) to major health challenges. Michael Imperioli, Jim Belushi, Fisher Stevens, Ella Anderson, King Princess and Hudson Hensley round out the cast, each playing real-life relatives and friends of the Sardinas.
The film has been heavily hyped in Milwaukee, including an intense publicity campaign with Jackman and Brewer Dec. 2 that included a Milwaukee premiere at the Oriental Theatre, and Jackman doing interviews and making appearances at Kopp’s Frozen Custard, the Milwaukee High School of the Arts and other spots in town. The “Blue” celebration continues with Claire Sardina scheduled to perform at 6 p.m. Dec. 30 at Paulie’s Pub & Eatery, 8031 W. Greenfield Ave. in West Allis.
Contact Piet Levy at (414) 223-5162 or [email protected]. Follow him at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
