Try looking at the daily breakdown which paints a different picture. The $3,153,000 figure appears to be an estimate for the entire weekend (Fri-Sun) inclusive.
Naturally this is ONLY an estimate. We just won’t know until sometime on Monday.

I think it will be more interesting to see how it plays out over the month. Even more so over the next year or so when it goes to DVD sales.

I am also somewhat skeptical of the $3.5M “cost of production”. As far as I know there is no “official” figure (from the producers) of the cost yet. Then there is the marketing cost (advertising, promos, pre-screenings, etc…). The marketing costs may have exceeded the production costs several fold.

Just have to wait and see… something about counting chickens I think.

-DU-

The weekend is not yet over. Try $3,153,000 over 2 days instead of 3 days, to give $1499/theater/day.
If the average 2008 movie ticket price is $6.82, attendance would be running 220 per day.

Flock of Dodos did not have a general release; it only played film festivals, so there’s no comparison. A better comparison would be to some documentary with a comparable number of theatres.

Back of the envelope calculation: If Expelled made $3.7 million and opened in 1052 theatres on the first weekend, I get about 56 people per showing. (3.7 million/1052 theatres/3 nights/$7 ticket/3 showings a day).

EM

I have no idea what it will earn from cable and broadcast (HBO/FOX perhaps), DVD sales, and branded memorabilia.

It certainly looks like the cost will be recouped many times over before all is said and done.

Wikipedia suggests the budget for Expelled was $3.5 million.

They will probably break even by the end of this opening weekend. That is a “success” in Hollywood where a substantial portion of films to not recover their production costs.

By the way, Expelled’s opening in 1052 theaters is the highest of any documentary.
Expelled is currently 4th highest grossing among opening movies, 5th highest in revenues/theater in opening movies, and 9th among all movies showing on the weekend box office for April 18-20.

{PS If you seriously want to be “Expelled” try supporting Dembski’s mathematical papers undergirding ID to Darwinian evolutionary professors.}

Exactly – $3.7 million is BAD.

“But overall, the movie has already pulling in a profit since it cost $3.5 million to make. Over it’s full run and including DVD sales, how much do you think it will make?”

No, not all the money goes to the study…

The TOTAL cost is much higher than $3.5 milion.

Does this mean the movie wasn’t a success? Also, how much of the $3.7 million is actually profit after they pay back the Christian schools and churches for bringing in their students?

But overall, the movie has already pulling in a profit since it cost $3.5 million to make. Over it’s full run and including DVD sales, how much do you think it will make?