By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
What was the most viewed indie of the weekend with 165,00 viewers? Princess of Nebraska
On Monday, I had a conversation with filmmaker Lance Hammer about how movies like his Ballast could make money in the present and emerging market. And while he’s an optimist about the future of filmmaking, he was less than sanguine about the possibility of breaking even with a film like his today. Which is why this news release leaves me with mixed feelings: “165,000 + views in a two-day period is the biggest online opening ever for a feature-length studio film: Wayne Wang’s new film The Princess of Nebraska made its world premiere on YouTube™ on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 12:00am EST. With more than 165,000 views in its first two days, the online launch represents the most successful studio film premiere in YouTube’s history. In relation to a theatrical release, the film would have placed around 15th on the box office charts. Magnolia Pictures’ Ray Price said, “It’s astounding that over a two day period The Princess of Nebraska became the most widely viewed independent film in the country.” That’s a lot of eyeballs. An interesting small film is getting seen. What’s next? [The film is below.]
