Trivia
HardThe Lowest Box Office Grossing Film In U.S. History Is?
Answer: Zyzzyx Road
Typically when you hear about poor box office returns for movie releases, the conversation goes something like “Well, Film X had a budget of 300 million but only made 145 million at the box office,” with much conversation focused on why exactly that was.
In the case of the 2006 release Zyzzyx Road (starring Leo Grillo, Katherine Heigl, and Tom Sizemore), however, there were no millions bandied about when talking about box office sales. The film cost 1.2 million dollars to produce but netted only a total of $30 in box office sales.
How could a film gross that little money at the domestic box office? To understand how a film could pull down sales worth about as much as an oil change, you have to understand the circumstances of its release. Per the regulations of the Screen Actors Guild, any movie that qualifies as low budget (with a budget below 2.5 million dollars) that is not a direct-to-video release needs to be released domestically in some capacity before moving on to a foreign market. John Penney (the film’s director) and Leo Grillo (a producer for the movie in addition to starring in it) both thought the film would do much better in foreign markets, so in order to meet the obligations to the SAG, they rented a movie theater in Dallas, Texas and showed the film once a day at noon for six consecutive days. As a result a mere six people saw the film for a total box office gross of $30.
Trivia
EasyThe First Payphone Was Located In?
Trivia
EasyRecently Mathematicians Around The Globe Have Taken To Hoarding?
Trivia
HardThe First Person To Win Two Nobel Prizes Was?
Trivia
HardWhich Of These Countries Has A Traditional Calendar With Dozens Of Microseasons?
Trivia
EasyWhich Of These Convenience Stores Was Originally Called “Tote’m Stores”?
Trivia
HardWhich State Has The Same Plant As Its Official Fruit And Vegetable?
Trivia
HardIV Is The Roman Numeral Designation For 4 Everywhere But…?
Trivia
HardJust Like Many Western Buildings Have No Formal 13th Floor, Many Chinese Buildings Have No?
Trivia
EasyOn Star Trek, The Ship’s Sliding Doors Were Operated By?