They Shall Not Grow Old Box Office Record for Special Event

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Peter Jackson's WWI Documentary 'They Shall Not Grow Old' Sets a Box Office Record

By Dave Trumbore

Published Dec 28, 2018

The Fathom Events and Warner Bros. Pictures' release has tallied over $5 million already.

Peter Jackson’s groundbreaking WWI documentary They Shall Not Grow Old grossed $3.375 million at the domestic box office on Thursday, December 27th, bringing its cumulative gross to $5.702 million and setting a record as the highest-grossing U.S. cinema event to date, both for Fathom Events and for the event-cinema industry. They Shall Not Grow Old, distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, restores, colorizes and applies 3D technology to original film footage from World War I, to remarkable effect.

The encore showing on December 27th exceeded all expectations generating the second-highest per-screen average of any U.S. theatrical release. The film played on only 1,007 screens, for a per-screen average of $3,351. Due to such intense interest from moviegoers, some locations sold out of tickets more than a week ago, despite strong competition from wide holiday film releases. In its first North American cinema presentation on December 17th, They Shall Not Grow Old played on more than 1,000 total screens and grossed $2.327 million; it was the second-highest-performing film on that day.

“The success of this release is a result of tremendous teamwork between Fathom Events, Warner Bros. and our exhibition partners,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “Peter Jackson has created a film of remarkable technical achievement that is also a deeply emotional and truly unforgettable experience for anyone who sees it. It has been an honor to be part of Mr. Jackson’s cinematic achievement.”

They Shall Not Grow Old now ranks as the largest-ever U.S. event cinema release, far surpassing the recent BTS documentary and eclipsing Fathom’s previous records. In 2015, Fathom’s “Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F” reached $4.6 million; in 2013, Fathom’s release of “Dr. Who, The Day of the Doctor” delivered $4.49 million and in 2016, Fathom’s “Batman: The Killing Joke” reached $3.4 million in gross revenue.

Cinema audiences can anticipate further showings on January 11, 2019 and February 1, 2019. More details to be released by Warner Bros.

And for more on They Shall Not Grow Old, be sure to get caught up with our recent write-ups: