The Christmas atmosphere still lingered in the air.
During this week, the North American film market often experiences a holiday effect, with box office numbers across the board rebounding. Movies remain one of the top choices for families gathering over the holidays.
This year was no exception—
The Lord of the Rings, The Butterfly Effect, The Matrix Revolutions, among others, continued to dominate theaters. Meanwhile, new releases like Cheaper by the Dozen, Cold Mountain, Peter Pan, and Paycheck made their debuts this week.
The variety was dazzling and overwhelming.
Amid this wave of activity, a subtle current began flowing from the East Coast to the West Coast. Independent art house cinemas started catching wind of something special, one after another taking action and drawing the attention of hardcore cinephiles.
The general public had their fun during Christmas, but dedicated movie enthusiasts had their own parties to attend, creating a parallel but non-conflicting holiday celebration.
Houston. Dallas. Seattle. San Francisco. And, of course, Los Angeles.
All of them—no exceptions—kicked into high gear.
And it was all because of Elephant.
Undeniably, the limited screenings of Elephant had no direct impact on the weekend box office rankings. The sheer disparity in theater counts ensured that this film would not share the headlines with box office juggernauts.
Yet this did nothing to dampen the cinephiles' enthusiasm for the event—
Regardless of their motives, even skeptics and critics who attended screenings with the intention of nitpicking found themselves swept up in the tide, unknowingly becoming part of this year's unique Christmas spectacle.
Sold out! Sold out! Sold out!
It all began at New York's Angelika Film Center and IFC Center, where unexpectedly long lines and unprecedented sold-out showings shocked the independent film community.
And it spread quickly. Though theaters in other cities scrambled to adjust their schedules, they couldn't prevent every Friday show from selling out.
"Gold Palm-winning film 'Elephant' sells out every screening across North America!"
Major outlets like The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times were quick to update their websites with this headline, spreading the news far and wide—
The nation was stunned.
Even though this was a Palme d'Or-winning film, even though it was Anson starring, even though audiences were still buzzing about The Butterfly Effect's shocking North American box office success, seeing this news left everyone's heads spinning.
Especially in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, where theaters had already added extra screens and showtimes but still couldn't meet the overwhelming demand.
"In the end, there simply aren't enough theaters," Vanity Fair stated bluntly.
With only two theaters showing the film in Los Angeles and New York respectively, and just one theater in other cities, no amount of screens or showtimes could satisfy audience demand.
"If this is a case of artificial scarcity, then without a doubt, it's a massive success. But the more likely scenario is that even HBO didn't see this coming."
"So the question is, how long can this wave last? What will the occupancy rates look like on Saturday and Sunday? After the initial curiosity wears off, what will the film's lasting reputation be? And how should the rollout strategy be adjusted going forward?"
"These are the biggest unknowns."
"But one thing is clear: before these questions are answered, Elephant has already won. With a production budget of just $3 million, it has already recouped its costs and might even become one of HBO's rare profitable film investments in recent years. They're already winners."
Buzz, attention, focus.
During the fiercely competitive holiday season, where other films were battling tooth and nail—including The Butterfly Effect—no one expected Elephant to quietly steal the spotlight, sparking curiosity about its next steps.
As Vanity Fair noted, Friday was just the beginning. What about Saturday and Sunday? What about the second, third week, and beyond?
Even HBO's focus had shifted—
Initially, HBO had no expectations or targets for Elephant's box office performance. The plan was to create buzz on the big screen to promote the film and draw audiences back to their TV screens to subscribe to HBO.
After all, HBO had no awards season ambitions for Elephant. Originally, it was conceived as an experimental TV movie, and its current success had already far exceeded expectations.
But with every Friday screening sold out across the nation, everything had changed.
In this whirlwind, Elephant's critical and audience scores became crucial, drawing countless eyes to its performance.
A friendly reminder: Elephant received a score of just 2.1 out of 4 from the official Cannes jury.
That's a failing grade.
Clearly, Friday's sold-out status was an unintended result of accidental scarcity marketing. If Elephant's reviews failed to impress, curiosity would quickly dissipate, and the film's momentum could plummet.
Unlike The Butterfly Effect, Elephant couldn't rely on controversy to attract casual viewers or generate widespread debate.
For films like this, critical reception is indeed pivotal.
Enter Roger Ebert.
Ebert wasted no time making his stance clear, unequivocally supporting Elephant.
Previously, at Cannes, Ebert had awarded Elephant a perfect 4/4 score. Now back in North America, he reiterated his praise in the Chicago Sun-Times, lavishing the film with glowing reviews.
100%.
"If I had to recommend just one must-see film from this year's awards season, it would be Elephant. Not because it's flawless, but because its imperfections make it real and leave a lasting resonance after the credits roll."
"In our pursuit of artistic perfection—better scripts, better character arcs, better performances, better thematic clarity—we've gradually lost the rawness and grit rooted in reality that once defined great art."
"Until Elephant."
"It reminds us why we create art—not for awards, not for box office success, but to explore ourselves, society, and life."
This was unprecedented.
For the same film, Ebert had written two reviews, both awarding perfect scores, each from a different perspective, showering it with the highest praise.
This small gesture made his affection for the film unmistakable.
Following The Butterfly Effect, this marked the second time in a short period that Ebert had praised a film starring Anson. Such recognition was rare in Hollywood.
No wonder people joked that Anson's brilliant appearance at Cannes not only captivated fans and French audiences but also won over Roger Ebert.
Who would've thought that the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic would become Anson's biggest fan?
(End of Chapter)