By Robert Mitchell, Variety:
The Shia LaBeouf thriller “Man Down” has managed to triple the number of general-public paid admissions in Britain – from one ticket sold to three.
During its U.K. opening weekend last weekend, it sold a single ticket in its only venue, the Reel Cinema in Burnley, northern England, taking in a whopping £7 ($8.73), according to data tracker comScore. That admission is believed to have been a single student ticket priced at £6.90 (comScore rounds its data up to the nearest pound).
The cinema is since confirmed to have sold a further two tickets since its dismal opening weekend.
The film has seen a slight boost, however, from a specialist theater chain that provides films for military personnel and their dependents in the U.K. and overseas. SSVC Forces Cinemas has eight theaters in the U.K.
“Man Down” is an obvious choice for Forces Cinemas given that its central character, played by LaBeouf, is a U.S. Marine returning home from a tour in Afghanistan suffering from PTSD. The film played at the circuit’s Forum Cinema in Blandford on Monday and Tuesday and generated more than three times the box office of the Burnley site, taking results through Tuesday to £79 ($98.50).
Forces Cinemas has further booked the film for April 18 and 20 at the Jitg Theatre in Chicksands, and has five screenings scheduled, including two over the Easter weekend (April 14 and 16), at the Phoenix Cinema on the British overseas territory of the Falkland Islands.
The film sees director Dito Montiel reunite with LaBeouf, who starred in Montiel’s debut film, “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” in 2006. That film grossed £68,420 ($133,583) in the U.K. Montiel’s previous film, 2014’s “Boulevard” starring Robin Williams, also failed to attract many British moviegoers, earning a total of £1,852 ($2,603).
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