It was great to know you, Chuck.
On Friday I mentioned how Neon had basically given up on Mike Flanagan’s “Life of Chuck,” and that it was headed for an abysmal weekend. It turns out, the numbers are far worse than I expected.
‘Chuck expanded wide this past weekend, in over 1100 screens, but only earned $2M. That’s a wrap on this one. The best outcome Flanagan, Neon and company can expect now is if ‘Chuck’ somehow finds an audience on streaming.
After winning the top prize at TIFF 2024, Neon snatched up ‘Chuck’ for an undisclosed sum of money, but shouldn’t have waited 10 months to release it. The film’s stock was fairly high last fall, festival audiences dug it, and there was even Oscar buzz.
The production budget for ‘Chuck’ has not been publicly disclosed. No official figures have been released. Some trades speculate it was “significant” for an indie production due to the cast and creative team, but without confirmation from Neon, the studio, or production producers, the exact number remains undisclosed.
Don’t feel too bad for Neon, they just won their sixth straight Palme d’Or, and have a stacked lineup of films ready to be unveiled this fall; including Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” which they recently positioned for November 7 release — the exact same weekend as their Best Picture winner from this year, “Anora.”