Fastest time from release to second-run

June 21, 2007

The movie DOA: Dead or Alive was just released last Friday at the first-run theaters, but this week it has already arrived at the second-run Village 8 theater.  That has to be some kind of record, one week in general release before being dumped at the bargain theater. 

BoxOfficeMojo shows that it earned less than $1,000 per theater in its opening week, which is pretty abysmal indeed.  No doubt why the first-run theater dropped it.  Even if they used the freed-up screen to show an older first-run movie like SpiderMan 3, they’d still make more money than what DOA was making.

Now that would count as irony if the DOA in the title meant “Dead on Arrival”.  Because clearly the movie is just that.  But since the initials have a different meaning in this instance then no, this does not count as ironic.  Sorry, Alanis.

I’m almost tempted to go this weekend just to see if it’s really that bad.  I don’t mind paying the $3 matinee price at Village 8, but I do worry about losing the 1 hour and 30 minutes of my life to a really bad flick.  But if it’s hot enough outside, sitting in a cool theater eating popcorn and watching a D-grade movie might be okay.