The Big Fat UHF Topic

[Cinnamon]

That's a great site for official awards, but it just looks so incomplete. Besides UHF it reeeeeeally needs:

Polka Party and Poodle Hat!

*chants*

Polka Party! Poodle Hat! Polka Party! Poodle Hat!
Polka Poodle! Party Hat! Poodle Party! Polka Hat!
Power Polka! Party Poodle! um...Hat!



*ducks*

[Elvis]

I found a site with box office breakdowns here with some fun numbers to look at.

And since you have to register (free trial) to see it (<_<)...

UHF

Domestic Total Gross: $6,157,157
Distributor: Orion Pictures Release Date: July 21, 1989
Running Time: N/A Production Budget: N/A
MPAA Rating: PG-13 Est. Marketing Costs: N/A

TOTAL LIFETIME GROSSES
Domestic:  $6,157,157

DOMESTIC SUMMARY
Opening Weekend:  $2,251,831
(1,295 theaters, $1,738 average)
% of Total Gross:  36.6%
Widest Release:  1,295 theaters

CHARTS (click to view)  Rank
All Time Domestic  3,395
Yearly 1989  105
Yearly Opening Weekends (Wide) 1989  88
Opening Weekends  2,557
Smallest Drops, All Wide Releases  2,457
Widest Independent Releases  119
Widest Opening Independent Releases  106
BOM Users' Grades (1989 Releases)  38
CHARTS (Premier Pass Users Only) Rank
Highest All Time Rank (on August 15, 1989)  1175
Opening Weekends Adjusted  2,511

Not sure why they only have 2 weeks listed.

Weekend Breakdown     
     

1989
Date(Click to view chart) Rank WeekendGross % Change Theater Count/Change Average Gross-to-Date Week #
July 21–23 11 $2,251,831 - 1,295 - $1,738 $2,251,831 1
July 28–30 16 $914,644 -59.4% 1,295 - $706 $4,443,328 2

1989
Date(Click to view chart) Rank Weekly Gross % Change Theater Count/Change Average to-Date Week #
July 21–27 11 $3,528,684 - 1,295 - $2,724 $3,528,684 1
July 28–Aug 3 16 $1,465,233 -58.5% 1,295 - $1,131 $4,993,917 2

Dave

[CatraDhtem]

Not sure why they only have 2 weeks listed. 

Because "UHF" only appeared on the top-fifteen box office charts (or whatever their specific source is) for two weeks.

That is a very good site for gross information, but I'm still not sure where they got their all-time rank from...unless there's been about seven hundred other movies that I didn't look up when I researched the same data for my site.

[weird_el]

Is there anywhere "official" that mentions what UHF cost to make? I think I recall reading or hearing somewhere that it had a $4 million budget. If' that's the case it was technically a success.

Where is the bomb/hit line drawn?

[Elvis]

I think Al said somewhere in the "UHF" commentary that they had a $5 million budget, so technically it was a success, assuming they didn't spend more than $1.1 million on distribution, advertising, popcorn, etc. (Or is that stuff included in the budget? )

That's also a domestic (U.S.) number, and it was promoted in at least Australia -- Al even made a trip down there to do the Australian media circuit -- so it probably made some money there, and in the U.K. too.

That is a very good site for gross information, but I'm still not sure where they got their all-time rank from...unless there's been about seven hundred other movies that I didn't look up when I researched the same data for my site.

They have the top 335 here, so you can at least check those against the list you used. They might have more available if you purchase their premier pass.

Here's some more charts before my free trial runs out, which shows just how tough the competition was those weeks/weekends. (I'm shocked, and a bit disturbed, that "Weekend At Bernie's" beat "UHF" )

Week 1:

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1  1  Lethal Weapon 2  WB  $13,022,249  -24.2%  1,830  -  $7,115  $71,602,872  -  3
2  2  Batman  WB  $11,164,319  -26.1%  2,201  -  $5,072  $187,521,450  $35  5
3  14  When Harry Met Sally...  Col.  $8,846,522  +708.3%  775  +734  $11,414  $11,085,052  -  2
4  3  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids  BV  $6,432,416  -27.0%  1,498  +38  $4,294  $87,002,099  -  5
5  4  Licence to Kill  UA  $5,100,314  -41.9%  1,587  +12  $3,213  $18,134,933  -  2
6  5  Peter Pan (Re-issue) (1989)  BV  $4,349,121  -22.5%  1,533  +58  $2,837  $14,333,560  -  2
7  8  Dead Poets Society  BV  $3,547,080  -16.7%  1,062  +15  $3,340  $70,020,395  -  8
8  6  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  Par.  $3,383,204  -26.7%  1,523  -194  $2,221  $172,107,395  $48  9
9  7  Ghostbusters II  Col.  $2,883,671  -33.5%  1,758  -220  $1,640  $98,489,868  -  6
10  9  Weekend at Bernie's  Fox  $2,709,067  -27.8%  1,104  -35  $2,453  $18,058,053  -  3
11  N  UHF  Orion  $2,251,831  -  1,295  -  $1,738  $2,251,831  -  1
12  10  Do the Right Thing  Uni.  $2,090,610  -30.7%  534  +36  $3,915  $16,905,541  -  4
13  11  The Karate Kid Part III  Col.  $2,053,484  -29.8%  1,428  -141  $1,438  $30,958,076  -  4
14  N  Shag: The Movie  Hemd  $2,029,496  -  850  -  $2,387  $2,029,496  -  1

Weekend 2:

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1  N  Turner & Hooch  BV  $12,211,042  -  1,877  -  $6,505  $12,211,042  -  1
2  1  Lethal Weapon 2  WB  $10,401,958  -20.1%  1,830  -  $5,684  $88,845,480  -  4
3  2  Batman  WB  $8,952,993  -19.8%  2,201  -  $4,067  $202,867,563  $35  6
4  3  When Harry Met Sally...  Col.  $7,858,941  -11.2%  827  +52  $9,502  $24,157,072  -  3
5  N  Friday the 13th Part VIII  Par.  $6,251,310  -  1,683  -  $3,714  $6,251,310  -  1
6  4  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids  BV  $4,577,894  -28.8%  1,481  -17  $3,091  $95,437,383  -  6
7  5  Licence to Kill  UA  $3,410,486  -33.1%  1,508  -79  $2,261  $24,275,616  -  3
8  8  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  Par.  $2,813,538  -16.8%  1,203  -320  $2,338  $177,001,203  $48  10
9  7  Dead Poets Society  BV  $2,609,319  -26.4%  993  -69  $2,627  $74,665,205  -  9
10  6  Peter Pan (Re-issue) (1989)  BV  $2,329,615  -46.4%  1,422  -111  $1,638  $19,449,584  -  3
11  9  Ghostbusters II  Col.  $1,948,445  -32.4%  1,342  -416  $1,451  $102,139,257  -  7
12  10  Weekend at Bernie's  Fox  $1,855,657  -31.5%  966  -138  $1,920  $21,632,213  -  4
13  12  Do the Right Thing  Uni.  $1,514,265  -27.6%  471  -63  $3,215  $19,418,306  -  5
14  13  The Karate Kid Part III  Col.  $1,201,132  -41.5%  1,119  -309  $1,073  $33,291,740  -  5
15  14  Shag: The Movie  Hemd  $1,145,001  -43.6%  838  -12  $1,366  $4,434,879  -  2
16  11  UHF  Orion  $914,644  -59.4%  1,295  -  $706  $4,443,328  -  2
-  N  Babar: The Movie  NL  $297,155  -  510  -  $582  $297,155  -  1
-  N  Distant Voices, Still Lives  Ave  $10,021  -  1  -  $10,021  $10,021  -  1
-  N  Catch Me If You Can (1989)  MCE  $2,580  -  4  -  $645  $2,580  -  1

Weekly 1:

TW LW Title (Click to view daily chart) Studio Weekly Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1  1  Lethal Weapon 2  WB  $19,862,899  -25.2%  1,830  -  $10,854  $78,443,522  -  3
2  2  Batman  WB  $17,557,439  -26.3%  2,201  -  $7,977  $193,914,570  $35  5
3  12  When Harry Met Sally...  Col.  $14,059,601  +528.1%  775  +734  $18,141  $16,298,131  -  2
4  3  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids  BV  $10,289,806  -29.3%  1,498  +38  $6,869  $90,859,489  -  5
5  4  Licence to Kill  UA  $7,830,511  -39.9%  1,587  +12  $4,934  $20,865,130  -  2
6  5  Peter Pan (Re-issue) (1989)  BV  $7,135,530  -28.5%  1,533  +58  $4,654  $17,119,969  -  2
7  7  Dead Poets Society  BV  $5,582,571  -18.6%  1,062  +15  $5,256  $72,055,886  -  8
8  6  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  Par.  $5,463,474  -25.9%  1,523  -194  $3,587  $174,187,665  $48  9
9  8  Ghostbusters II  Col.  $4,584,615  -32.3%  1,758  -220  $2,607  $100,190,812  -  6
10  9  Weekend at Bernie's  Fox  $4,427,570  -28%  1,104  -35  $4,010  $19,776,556  -  3
11  N  UHF  Orion  $3,528,684  -  1,295  -  $2,724  $3,528,684  -  1
12  N  Shag: The Movie  Hemd  $3,289,878  -  850  -  $3,870  $3,289,878  -  1
13  10  The Karate Kid Part III  Col.  $3,186,016  -32.8%  1,428  -141  $2,231  $32,090,608  -  4
14  11  Do the Right Thing  Uni.  $3,089,110  -29.6%  534  +36  $5,784  $17,904,041  -  4

Week 2:

TW LW Title (Click to view daily chart) Studio Weekly Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1  N  Turner & Hooch  BV  $19,129,545  -  1,877  -  $10,191  $19,129,545  -  1
2  1  Lethal Weapon 2  WB  $15,681,008  -21.1%  1,830  -  $8,568  $94,124,530  -  4
3  2  Batman  WB  $13,736,435  -21.8%  2,201  -  $6,240  $207,651,005  $35  6
4  3  When Harry Met Sally...  Col.  $12,086,826  -14%  827  +52  $14,615  $28,384,957  -  3
5  N  Friday the 13th Part VIII  Par.  $8,485,810  -  1,683  -  $5,042  $8,485,810  -  1
6  4  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids  BV  $7,617,536  -26%  1,481  -17  $5,143  $98,477,025  -  6
7  5  Licence to Kill  UA  $5,109,458  -34.7%  1,508  -79  $3,388  $25,974,588  -  3
8  8  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  Par.  $4,294,641  -21.4%  1,203  -320  $3,569  $178,482,306  $48  10
9  7  Dead Poets Society  BV  $4,140,964  -25.8%  993  -69  $4,170  $76,196,850  -  9
10  6  Peter Pan (Re-issue) (1989)  BV  $3,998,702  -44%  1,422  -111  $2,812  $21,118,671  -  3
-  -  Parenthood  Uni.  $3,548,616  -  1,227  -  $2,892  $3,548,616  -  -
11  9  Ghostbusters II  Col.  $3,039,355  -33.7%  1,342  -416  $2,264  $103,230,167  -  7
12  10  Weekend at Bernie's  Fox  $2,894,623  -34.6%  966  -138  $2,996  $22,671,179  -  4
13  14  Do the Right Thing  Uni.  $2,235,200  -27.6%  471  -63  $4,745  $20,139,241  -  5
14  13  The Karate Kid Part III  Col.  $1,854,308  -41.8%  1,119  -309  $1,657  $33,944,916  -  5
15  12  Shag: The Movie  Hemd  $1,820,479  -44.7%  838  -12  $2,172  $5,110,357  -  2
16  11  UHF  Orion  $1,465,233  -58.5%  1,295  -  $1,131  $4,993,917  -  2
17  N  Babar: The Movie  NL  $583,519  -  510  -  $1,144  $583,519  -  1
18  N  Distant Voices, Still Lives  Ave  $15,303  -  1  -  $15,303  $15,303  -  1
19  N  Catch Me If You Can (1989)  MCE  $3,686  -  4  -  $921  $3,686  -  1

There's some positive in there. On the week/weekend it opened, it performed the best out of all films that opened in the same week/weekend "UHF" did.

Dave

[CatraDhtem]

I think Al said somewhere in the "UHF" commentary that they had a $5 million budget, so technically it was a success, assuming they didn't spend more than $1.1 million on distribution, advertising, popcorn, etc.  (Or is that stuff included in the budget?  )

I think it varies from production to production as to what all is included in the official budget. I believe marketing is handled separately, but I might be mistaken. IIRC promotional materials for "UHF's" video release quoted an ad budget that even exceeded the production budget.

But anyway, I think to be really, really accurate, Al said that "UHF" simply broke even money-wise...Orion made their money back, but they didn't really turn a profit on it either. So, yes it was a success in the sense that no money was lost or wasted on its production.

[Roridez]

I think in the comentary of UHF, he says it cost around $5 mill.

[algonacchick]

That's what Dave said:

[quote=" "Elvis" "]
I think Al said somewhere in the "UHF" commentary that they had a $5 million budget, so technically it was a success, assuming they didn't spend more than $1.1 million on distribution, advertising, popcorn, etc. (Or is that stuff included in the budget? )
[/quote]

[sarahhh]

I realise this topic has been dead for a while, but i saw UHF for the first time yesterday and loved it! I loved the town talk parts ('Sex with furniture, what do you think?'), and the part where he's screaming down the answering machine. Ahhhh...so glad i found it in HMV.

[Dumb N00b]

I just saw it 5 minutes ago! Glad you finally found it.