Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Searching for Sugar Man poster
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $3,965,090Details
International Box Office $8,937,411Details
Worldwide Box Office $12,902,501
Home Market Performance
Est. Domestic DVD Sales $2,307,398 Details
Est. Domestic Blu-ray Sales $1,650,374 Details
Total Est. Domestic Video Sales $3,957,772
Further financial details...

Synopsis

In the late '60s, two celebrated producers, who were struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics, discovered a musician in a Detroit bar. They recorded an album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as one of the greatest recording artists of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, it became a phenomenon. Two South African fans then set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$27,459 (0.7% of total gross)
Legs:20.11 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:30.7% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Theater counts:3 opening theaters/157 max. theaters, 10.0 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $5,344,131

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 6,901-7,000) 6,948 $3,965,090
All Time International Box Office (Rank 5,001-5,100) 5,083 $8,937,411
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 6,701-6,800) 6,792 $12,902,501
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 601-700) 653 $3,965,090

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon
iTunes:iTunes
Google Play:Google Play

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: July 27th, 2012 (Limited) by Sony Pictures Classics
International Releases: July 27th, 2012 (Wide) (United Kingdom)
August 24th, 2012 (Wide) (Sweden)
October 4th, 2012 (Wide) (Denmark)
October 11th, 2012 (Limited) (South Korea)
October 14th, 2012 (Wide) (New Zealand)
... Show all releases
Video Release: January 22nd, 2013 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some drug references.
Running Time: 85 minutes
Comparisons: vs. En kongelig affære
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Musicians, Rock 'n' Roll, Big Break, Directing Yourself, 1970s, 1960s, Set in South Africa, Presumed Dead, Political Activist, Biography, Oscars Best Documentary Winner
Source:Based on Real Life Events
Genre:Documentary
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Factual
Production/Financing Companies: Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Confield Pictures, The Documentary Company
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Biggest 54th Weekend Limited Release 31 $282 Aug 16, 2013 374
Biggest 53rd Weekend Limited Release 24 $1,568 Aug 9, 2013 367
Biggest 52nd Weekend Limited Release 31 $256 Aug 2, 2013 360
Biggest 51st Weekend Limited Release 38 $356 Jul 26, 2013 353
Biggest 50th Weekend Limited Release 36 $648 Jul 19, 2013 346
Biggest 49th Weekend Limited Release 50 $446 Jun 28, 2013 339
Biggest 48th Weekend Limited Release 43 $684 Jun 21, 2013 332
Biggest 47th Weekend Limited Release 27 $1,420 Jun 14, 2013 325
Biggest 46th Weekend Limited Release 23 $2,384 Jun 7, 2013 318
Biggest 44th Weekend Limited Release 23 $3,621 May 24, 2013 304
Biggest 43rd Weekend Limited Release 24 $3,561 May 17, 2013 297
Biggest 42nd Weekend Limited Release 30 $4,638 May 10, 2013 290
Biggest 41st Weekend Limited Release 41 $3,105 May 3, 2013 283
Biggest 40th Weekend Limited Release 30 $5,287 Apr 26, 2013 276
Biggest 39th Weekend Limited Release 29 $8,209 Apr 19, 2013 269
Biggest 38th Weekend Limited Release 33 $9,234 Apr 12, 2013 262
Biggest 37th Weekend Limited Release 25 $16,065 Apr 5, 2013 255
Biggest 36th Weekend Limited Release 31 $15,440 Mar 29, 2013 248
Biggest 35th Weekend Limited Release 25 $23,780 Mar 22, 2013 241
Biggest 34th Weekend Limited Release 18 $35,855 Mar 15, 2013 234
Biggest 33rd Weekend Limited Release 18 $44,218 Mar 8, 2013 227
Biggest 32nd Weekend Limited Release 11 $57,552 Mar 1, 2013 220
Biggest 31st Weekend Limited Release 27 $32,583 Feb 22, 2013 213
Biggest 30th Weekend Limited Release 43 $23,347 Feb 15, 2013 206
Biggest 29th Weekend Limited Release 55 $20,555 Feb 8, 2013 199
Biggest 28th Weekend Limited Release 72 $19,917 Feb 1, 2013 192
Biggest 27th Weekend Limited Release 59 $31,808 Jan 25, 2013 185
Biggest 26th Weekend Limited Release 67 $32,029 Jan 18, 2013 178
Biggest 25th Weekend Limited Release 89 $26,121 Jan 11, 2013 171
Biggest 24th Weekend Limited Release 97 $26,723 Jan 4, 2013 164

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 27, 2012 47 $27,459   3 $9,153   $27,459 1
Aug 3, 2012 41 $38,743 +41% 7 $5,535   $82,093 2
Aug 10, 2012 40 $63,342 +63% 15 $4,223   $166,368 3
Aug 17, 2012 36 $106,283 +68% 27 $3,936   $309,359 4
Aug 24, 2012 37 $121,211 +14% 29 $4,180   $495,153 5
Aug 31, 2012 39 $140,674 +16% 32 $4,396   $693,975 6
Sep 7, 2012 40 $114,455 -19% 33 $3,468   $892,596 7
Sep 14, 2012 41 $101,263 -12% 34 $2,978   $1,042,970 8
Sep 21, 2012 44 $93,338 -8% 38 $2,456   $1,186,139 9
Sep 28, 2012 44 $95,345 +2% 37 $2,577   $1,318,745 10
Oct 5, 2012 40 $86,563 -9% 38 $2,278   $1,435,234 11
Oct 12, 2012 22 $190,822 +120% 157 $1,215   $1,685,694 12
Oct 19, 2012 22 $197,188 +3% 137 $1,439   $1,968,290 13
Oct 26, 2012 27 $137,728 -30% 114 $1,208   $2,192,640 14
Nov 2, 2012 28 $149,114 +8% 105 $1,420   $2,410,566 15
Nov 9, 2012 33 $103,223 -31% 94 $1,098   $2,560,198 16
Nov 16, 2012 36 $68,832 -33% 54 $1,275   $2,670,917 17
Nov 30, 2012 41 $46,570   53 $879   $2,836,187 19
Dec 7, 2012 44 $36,822 -21% 42 $877   $2,893,916 20
Dec 14, 2012 52 $22,555 -39% 31 $728   $2,931,599 21
Dec 21, 2012 51 $15,703 -30% 25 $628   $2,960,488 22
Dec 28, 2012 43 $29,867 +90% 28 $1,067   $3,007,341 23
Jan 4, 2013 47 $26,723 -11% 26 $1,028   $3,058,667 24
Jan 11, 2013 47 $26,121 -2% 22 $1,187   $3,095,075 25
Jan 18, 2013 47 $32,029 +23% 27 $1,186   $3,138,421 26
Jan 25, 2013 50 $31,808 -1% 26 $1,223   $3,182,619 27
Feb 1, 2013 58 $19,917 -37% 18 $1,107   $3,212,491 28
Feb 8, 2013 58 $20,555 +3% 20 $1,028   $3,245,671 29
Feb 15, 2013 58 $23,347 +14% 19 $1,229   $3,278,313 30
Feb 22, 2013 52 $32,583 +40% 30 $1,086   $3,322,289 31
Mar 1, 2013 49 $57,552 +77% 39 $1,476   $3,394,465 32
Mar 8, 2013 45 $44,218 -23% 39 $1,134   $3,464,553 33
Mar 15, 2013 51 $35,855 -19% 34 $1,055   $3,521,523 34
Mar 22, 2013 54 $23,780 -34% 25 $951   $3,559,838 35
Mar 29, 2013 69 $15,440 -35% 16 $965   $3,588,618 36
Apr 5, 2013 64 $16,065 +4% 18 $893   $3,612,244 37
Apr 12, 2013 75 $9,234 -43% 14 $660   $3,626,832 38
Apr 19, 2013 73 $8,209 -11% 13 $631   $3,640,519 39
Apr 26, 2013 80 $5,287 -36% 8 $661   $3,648,145 40
May 3, 2013 86 $3,105 -41% 9 $345   $3,653,307 41
May 10, 2013 85 $4,638 +49% 7 $663   $3,662,322 42
May 17, 2013 85 $3,561 -23% 6 $594   $3,667,230 43
May 24, 2013 77 $3,621 +2% 6 $604   $3,672,707 44
Jun 7, 2013 76 $2,384   4 $596   $3,682,137 46
Jun 14, 2013 84 $1,420 -40% 4 $355   $3,684,598 47
Jun 21, 2013 90 $684 -52% 2 $342   $3,687,511 48
Jun 28, 2013 88 $446 -35% 1 $446   $3,688,458 49
Jul 19, 2013 97 $648   1 $648   $3,691,668 50
Jul 26, 2013 91 $356 -45% 2 $178   $3,692,402 51
Aug 2, 2013 87 $256 -28% 1 $256   $3,692,866 52
Aug 9, 2013 90 $1,568 +513% 1 $1,568   $3,964,808 53
Aug 16, 2013 106 $282 -82% 1 $282   $3,965,090 54

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 27, 2012 47 $43,350   3 $14,450   $43,350 1
Aug 3, 2012 48 $59,676 +38% 7 $8,525   $103,026 2
Aug 10, 2012 41 $100,050 +68% 15 $6,670   $203,076 3
Aug 17, 2012 37 $170,866 +71% 27 $6,328   $373,942 4
Aug 24, 2012 39 $179,359 +5% 29 $6,185   $553,301 5
Aug 31, 2012 39 $224,840 +25% 32 $7,026   $778,141 6
Sep 7, 2012 39 $163,566 -27% 33 $4,957   $941,707 7
Sep 14, 2012 40 $151,094 -8% 34 $4,444   $1,092,801 8
Sep 21, 2012 44 $130,599 -14% 38 $3,437   $1,223,400 9
Sep 28, 2012 44 $125,271 -4% 37 $3,386   $1,348,671 10
Oct 5, 2012 37 $146,201 +17% 38 $3,847   $1,494,872 11
Oct 12, 2012 22 $276,230 +89% 157 $1,759   $1,771,102 12
Oct 19, 2012 22 $283,810 +3% 137 $2,072   $2,054,912 13
Oct 26, 2012 26 $206,540 -27% 114 $1,812   $2,261,452 14
Nov 2, 2012 29 $195,523 -5% 105 $1,862   $2,456,975 15
Nov 9, 2012 33 $145,110 -26% 94 $1,544   $2,602,085 16
Nov 30, 2012 39 $67,477   53 $1,273   $2,857,094 19
Dec 7, 2012 45 $51,950 -23% 42 $1,237   $2,909,044 20
Dec 14, 2012 56 $35,741 -31% 31 $1,153   $2,944,785 21
Dec 28, 2012 43 $54,470   28 $1,945   $3,031,944 23
Jan 4, 2013 48 $37,010 -32% 26 $1,423   $3,068,954 24
Jan 11, 2013 44 $37,438 +1% 22 $1,702   $3,106,392 25
Jan 18, 2013 47 $44,419 +19% 27 $1,645   $3,150,811 26
Jan 25, 2013 52 $41,763 -6% 26 $1,606   $3,192,574 27
Feb 1, 2013 55 $32,542 -22% 18 $1,808   $3,225,116 28
Feb 8, 2013 62 $29,850 -8% 20 $1,493   $3,254,966 29
Feb 15, 2013 62 $23,347 -22% 19 $1,229   $3,278,313 30
Feb 22, 2013 51 $47,207 +102% 30 $1,574   $3,336,913 31
Mar 1, 2013 51 $83,422 +77% 39 $2,139   $3,420,335 32
Mar 8, 2013 46 $65,333 -22% 39 $1,675   $3,485,668 33
Mar 15, 2013 52 $50,390 -23% 34 $1,482   $3,536,058 34
Mar 22, 2013 58 $37,120 -26% 25 $1,485   $3,573,178 35
Mar 29, 2013 68 $23,001 -38% 16 $1,438   $3,596,179 36
Apr 5, 2013 67 $21,419 -7% 18 $1,190   $3,617,598 37
Apr 12, 2013 75 $14,712 -31% 14 $1,051   $3,632,310 38
Apr 19, 2013 75 $10,548 -28% 13 $811   $3,642,858 39
Apr 26, 2013 78 $7,344 -30% 8 $918   $3,650,202 40
May 3, 2013 83 $7,482 +2% 9 $831   $3,657,684 41
May 10, 2013 89 $5,985 -20% 7 $855   $3,663,669 42
May 17, 2013 85 $5,417 -9% 6 $903   $3,669,086 43
May 24, 2013 84 $3,621 -33% 6 $604   $3,672,707 44
Jun 7, 2013 91 $2,384   4 $596   $3,682,137 46
Jun 14, 2013 80 $3,649 +53% 4 $912   $3,686,827 47
Jun 21, 2013 93 $1,185 -68% 2 $593   $3,688,012 48
Jul 19, 2013 88 $1,026   1 $1,026   $3,692,046 49
Jul 26, 2013 86 $564 -45% 2 $282   $3,692,610 50
Aug 2, 2013 91 $630 +12% 1 $630   $3,693,240 51
Aug 9, 2013 88 $2,382 +278% 1 $2,382   $3,695,622 52
Aug 16, 2013 95 $574 -76% 1 $574   $3,696,196 53

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Australia 3/25/2021 $135 2 2 3 $716,556 9/5/2023
Austria 12/28/2012 $4,863 5 5 9 $25,180 12/13/2015
Croatia 4/11/2013 $464 3 3 3 $464 12/30/2018
Denmark 10/4/2012 $0 0 5 10 $159,239 12/12/2015
Italy 10/16/2023 $0000$0
Lebanon 2/7/2013 $1,346 1 1 6 $13,464 12/30/2018
Netherlands 12/20/2012 $480 3 3 3 $480 12/13/2015
New Zealand 10/14/2012 $0 0 15 79 $231,861 9/21/2020
Norway 12/25/2012 $13,416 19 19 28 $44,534 12/13/2015
Poland 2/22/2013 $0 0 33 153 $342,485 12/30/2018
South Korea 10/11/2012 $0 0 36 36 $163,568 10/18/2023
Spain 2/22/2013 $0 0 13 105 $1,085,246 12/13/2015
Sweden 8/24/2012 $0 0 67 297 $1,749,108 12/14/2015
United Arab Emirates 12/6/2012 $619 1 1 1 $800 12/29/2018
United Kingdom 7/27/2012 $108,044 28 43 161 $566,468 12/11/2015
 
Rest of World $3,837,958
 
International Total$8,937,411 10/18/2023

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Jan 27, 2013197,936 7,936$182,438$182,4381

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.

Supporting Cast

Steve M. Harris    Harris

Interviewee(s)

Ilse Assmnn    Herself
Clarence Avant    Himself
Craig Bartholomew-Strydom    Himself
Dennis Coffey    Himself
Dan DiMaggio    Himself
Rick Emmerson    Himself
Jerome Ferretti    Himself
Rian Malan    Himself

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Malik Bendjelloul    Director
Malik Bendjelloul    Producer
Malik Bendjelloul    Cinematographer
Malik Bendjelloul    Editor
Simon Chinn    Producer
John Battsek    Executive Producer
Camilla Skagerstrom    Cinematographer
George Chignell    Co-Producer
Nicole Stott    Co-Producer

The bold credits above the line are the "above-the-line" credits, the other the "below-the-line" credits.

Blu-ray Sales: January 27th, 2013: End Begins On Top

March 14th, 2013

New releases did well on the Blu-ray sales chart for the week of January 27th, 2013. This includes End of Watch, which earned first place with 428,000 units / $9.41 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was just a hair over 50%, which is really impressive for this type of release. More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Unites a Divided Night at the Oscars

February 25th, 2013

Argo was the big winner at the Oscars last night, although arguably, there were no big winners, but a lot of films that shared in the glory. There were also some pretty interesting twists and a few events that stand out. Due to ongoing computer difficulties, I was unable to live-blog the Oscars this year. I will still be giving my reactions on a category by category basis, but not in the order they were handed out. More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo's Wins go From Zero to Thirty

February 19th, 2013

Argo continues its winning ways at the WGAs this weekend. It has become the defacto favorite for the Oscars, despite the high profile Oscar snub. More...

2013 Awards Season: Oscar Contest: Category Highlight: Best Feature-Length Documentary

February 6th, 2013

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Feature-Length Documentary, which is probably not as competitive as I thought it would be. There are two films that earned perfect reviews, so it should be a close race between those two for the Oscar, right? More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Adds to Awards Season Haul

February 3rd, 2013

Directors Guild of America Awards were this weekend and the big winner shouldn't surprise too many people, assuming they've been paying attention. Argo won yet again and given this, Ben Affleck should be the favorite to win an Oscar at the end of the month... except he wasn't even nominated. More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Escapes With the Win

January 28th, 2013

Producers Guild of America gave out their awards over the weekend, and there were a couple surprises, including a big win for Argo. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 22nd, 2013

January 21st, 2013

There are not a lot of big releases on this week's list with End of Watch being the biggest. Conveniently, it is also the best and it is the Pick of the Week on either DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack. More...

2013 Awards Season: DGA Diverge From Oscars

January 14th, 2013

The Directors Guild of America handed out their nominations for Feature Films last week and Documentaries today. No, I have no idea why they split up their announcements. Usually, there's a lot of overlap between the DGAs and the Oscars, but that's not the case this year, so we again have some surprises. More...

2013 Awards Season: Lincoln Oversees a Divided Group of Nominees

January 10th, 2013

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and there's certainly a lot to talk about. There are some nominations that should surprise no one. For instance, Lincoln led the way with twelve nominations, and it has been seen as the major contender for a long time. However, there were also a few surprise nominations and some major snubs. Here are the list of nominations, and some reactions. More...

2013 Awards Season: WGAs Leaves Analysts In the Dark

January 7th, 2013

Surprises seems to be the word of the day, as the WGA nominations included a number of them. Granted, Zero Dark Thirty and a lot of the other films that have earned Awards Season success thus far were here, but there were almost as many surprises as there were obvious choices. More...

2013 Awards Season: PGA Produces a Few Surprises

January 6th, 2013

Producers Guild of America announced their nominations this week, including the three theatrical categories. There were a number of films on the list that have been mentioned time and time again this awards season, like Zero Dark Thirty, but there were also a few surprises. More...

Per Theater Chart: Zero to $1 million in Nine Days

January 3rd, 2013

Zero Dark Thirty shot up to the top of the per theater chart with averages of $83,430 during its opening weekend and $63,283 during its sophomore stint. Expanding truly wide is virtually guaranteed. Amour was well back with an average of $20,005 over the past weekend and $22,755 during its opening weekend. The Impossible rose 27% to $12,172 in 15 theaters. This is a great sign and while its reviews are too low to be a major contender during Awards Season, it should still do well enough to expand significantly, but probably not truly wide. The final film in the $10,000 club was Django Unchained, which opened with an average of $10,008. More...

Per Theater Chart: Session In, New Releases Out

October 30th, 2012

The Sessions was the only film to top $10,000 on the per theater chart with an average of $10,868 in 20 theaters. Earning some measure of mainstream success is very likely at this point. More...

Per Theater Chart: Mastering the Per Theater Chart

September 19th, 2012

We had a monster hit on the per theater chart, as The Master earned close to $750,000 in five theaters for an average of $147,262. This is unbelievably strong; however, one does have to take into account the particulars. The Master was released on 70mm and because this is such an unusual event, the tickets were sold at a premium price. The only other film to top the $10,000 mark was Arbitrage, which made just over $2 million in just under 200 theaters for an average of $10,163. More...

Dark Knight Puts the Spark in the Per Theater Chart

July 31st, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises remained on top of the per theater chart with an average of $14,101 in more than 4,400 theaters. Killer Joe opened with an average of $12,621 in three theaters, while Ruby Sparks was also strong with an average of $10,832 in thirteen. Both films have some potential to expand. Deep Sea 3-D remained strong with $10,412 in its lone theater. More...

Searching for Killer Limited Releases

July 27th, 2012

There are not a huge number of limited releases on this week's chart, but all of them are earning overall positive reviews, and a few of them are generating some strong buzz. Killer Joe is one such film, but its rating could prevent it from reaching a sizable audience. Ruby Sparks has far more populous appeal, but weaker reviews. Searching for Sugar Man has some of the best reviews of the month, but documentaries rarely escape the grasp of limited release. More...

  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Full Financials
  7. Cast & Crew
  8. Trailer

Synopsis

In the late '60s, two celebrated producers, who were struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics, discovered a musician in a Detroit bar. They recorded an album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as one of the greatest recording artists of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, it became a phenomenon. Two South African fans then set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$27,459 (0.7% of total gross)
Legs:20.11 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:30.7% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Theater counts:3 opening theaters/157 max. theaters, 10.0 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $5,344,131

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 6,901-7,000) 6,948 $3,965,090
All Time International Box Office (Rank 5,001-5,100) 5,083 $8,937,411
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 6,701-6,800) 6,792 $12,902,501
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 601-700) 653 $3,965,090

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon
iTunes:iTunes
Google Play:Google Play

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: July 27th, 2012 (Limited) by Sony Pictures Classics
International Releases: July 27th, 2012 (Wide) (United Kingdom)
August 24th, 2012 (Wide) (Sweden)
October 4th, 2012 (Wide) (Denmark)
October 11th, 2012 (Limited) (South Korea)
October 14th, 2012 (Wide) (New Zealand)
... Show all releases
Video Release: January 22nd, 2013 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some drug references.
Running Time: 85 minutes
Comparisons: vs. En kongelig affære
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Musicians, Rock 'n' Roll, Big Break, Directing Yourself, 1970s, 1960s, Set in South Africa, Presumed Dead, Political Activist, Biography, Oscars Best Documentary Winner
Source:Based on Real Life Events
Genre:Documentary
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Factual
Production/Financing Companies: Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Confield Pictures, The Documentary Company
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Biggest 54th Weekend Limited Release 31 $282 Aug 16, 2013 374
Biggest 53rd Weekend Limited Release 24 $1,568 Aug 9, 2013 367
Biggest 52nd Weekend Limited Release 31 $256 Aug 2, 2013 360
Biggest 51st Weekend Limited Release 38 $356 Jul 26, 2013 353
Biggest 50th Weekend Limited Release 36 $648 Jul 19, 2013 346
Biggest 49th Weekend Limited Release 50 $446 Jun 28, 2013 339
Biggest 48th Weekend Limited Release 43 $684 Jun 21, 2013 332
Biggest 47th Weekend Limited Release 27 $1,420 Jun 14, 2013 325
Biggest 46th Weekend Limited Release 23 $2,384 Jun 7, 2013 318
Biggest 44th Weekend Limited Release 23 $3,621 May 24, 2013 304
Biggest 43rd Weekend Limited Release 24 $3,561 May 17, 2013 297
Biggest 42nd Weekend Limited Release 30 $4,638 May 10, 2013 290
Biggest 41st Weekend Limited Release 41 $3,105 May 3, 2013 283
Biggest 40th Weekend Limited Release 30 $5,287 Apr 26, 2013 276
Biggest 39th Weekend Limited Release 29 $8,209 Apr 19, 2013 269
Biggest 38th Weekend Limited Release 33 $9,234 Apr 12, 2013 262
Biggest 37th Weekend Limited Release 25 $16,065 Apr 5, 2013 255
Biggest 36th Weekend Limited Release 31 $15,440 Mar 29, 2013 248
Biggest 35th Weekend Limited Release 25 $23,780 Mar 22, 2013 241
Biggest 34th Weekend Limited Release 18 $35,855 Mar 15, 2013 234
Biggest 33rd Weekend Limited Release 18 $44,218 Mar 8, 2013 227
Biggest 32nd Weekend Limited Release 11 $57,552 Mar 1, 2013 220
Biggest 31st Weekend Limited Release 27 $32,583 Feb 22, 2013 213
Biggest 30th Weekend Limited Release 43 $23,347 Feb 15, 2013 206
Biggest 29th Weekend Limited Release 55 $20,555 Feb 8, 2013 199
Biggest 28th Weekend Limited Release 72 $19,917 Feb 1, 2013 192
Biggest 27th Weekend Limited Release 59 $31,808 Jan 25, 2013 185
Biggest 26th Weekend Limited Release 67 $32,029 Jan 18, 2013 178
Biggest 25th Weekend Limited Release 89 $26,121 Jan 11, 2013 171
Biggest 24th Weekend Limited Release 97 $26,723 Jan 4, 2013 164

Supporting Cast

Steve M. Harris    Harris

Interviewee(s)

Ilse Assmnn    Herself
Clarence Avant    Himself
Craig Bartholomew-Strydom    Himself
Dennis Coffey    Himself
Dan DiMaggio    Himself
Rick Emmerson    Himself
Jerome Ferretti    Himself
Rian Malan    Himself

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Malik Bendjelloul    Director
Malik Bendjelloul    Producer
Malik Bendjelloul    Cinematographer
Malik Bendjelloul    Editor
Simon Chinn    Producer
John Battsek    Executive Producer
Camilla Skagerstrom    Cinematographer
George Chignell    Co-Producer
Nicole Stott    Co-Producer

The bold credits above the line are the "above-the-line" credits, the other the "below-the-line" credits.

Blu-ray Sales: January 27th, 2013: End Begins On Top

March 14th, 2013

New releases did well on the Blu-ray sales chart for the week of January 27th, 2013. This includes End of Watch, which earned first place with 428,000 units / $9.41 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was just a hair over 50%, which is really impressive for this type of release. More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Unites a Divided Night at the Oscars

February 25th, 2013

Argo was the big winner at the Oscars last night, although arguably, there were no big winners, but a lot of films that shared in the glory. There were also some pretty interesting twists and a few events that stand out. Due to ongoing computer difficulties, I was unable to live-blog the Oscars this year. I will still be giving my reactions on a category by category basis, but not in the order they were handed out. More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo's Wins go From Zero to Thirty

February 19th, 2013

Argo continues its winning ways at the WGAs this weekend. It has become the defacto favorite for the Oscars, despite the high profile Oscar snub. More...

2013 Awards Season: Oscar Contest: Category Highlight: Best Feature-Length Documentary

February 6th, 2013

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Feature-Length Documentary, which is probably not as competitive as I thought it would be. There are two films that earned perfect reviews, so it should be a close race between those two for the Oscar, right? More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Adds to Awards Season Haul

February 3rd, 2013

Directors Guild of America Awards were this weekend and the big winner shouldn't surprise too many people, assuming they've been paying attention. Argo won yet again and given this, Ben Affleck should be the favorite to win an Oscar at the end of the month... except he wasn't even nominated. More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Escapes With the Win

January 28th, 2013

Producers Guild of America gave out their awards over the weekend, and there were a couple surprises, including a big win for Argo. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 22nd, 2013

January 21st, 2013

There are not a lot of big releases on this week's list with End of Watch being the biggest. Conveniently, it is also the best and it is the Pick of the Week on either DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack. More...

2013 Awards Season: DGA Diverge From Oscars

January 14th, 2013

The Directors Guild of America handed out their nominations for Feature Films last week and Documentaries today. No, I have no idea why they split up their announcements. Usually, there's a lot of overlap between the DGAs and the Oscars, but that's not the case this year, so we again have some surprises. More...

2013 Awards Season: Lincoln Oversees a Divided Group of Nominees

January 10th, 2013

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and there's certainly a lot to talk about. There are some nominations that should surprise no one. For instance, Lincoln led the way with twelve nominations, and it has been seen as the major contender for a long time. However, there were also a few surprise nominations and some major snubs. Here are the list of nominations, and some reactions. More...

2013 Awards Season: WGAs Leaves Analysts In the Dark

January 7th, 2013

Surprises seems to be the word of the day, as the WGA nominations included a number of them. Granted, Zero Dark Thirty and a lot of the other films that have earned Awards Season success thus far were here, but there were almost as many surprises as there were obvious choices. More...

2013 Awards Season: PGA Produces a Few Surprises

January 6th, 2013

Producers Guild of America announced their nominations this week, including the three theatrical categories. There were a number of films on the list that have been mentioned time and time again this awards season, like Zero Dark Thirty, but there were also a few surprises. More...

Per Theater Chart: Zero to $1 million in Nine Days

January 3rd, 2013

Zero Dark Thirty shot up to the top of the per theater chart with averages of $83,430 during its opening weekend and $63,283 during its sophomore stint. Expanding truly wide is virtually guaranteed. Amour was well back with an average of $20,005 over the past weekend and $22,755 during its opening weekend. The Impossible rose 27% to $12,172 in 15 theaters. This is a great sign and while its reviews are too low to be a major contender during Awards Season, it should still do well enough to expand significantly, but probably not truly wide. The final film in the $10,000 club was Django Unchained, which opened with an average of $10,008. More...

Per Theater Chart: Session In, New Releases Out

October 30th, 2012

The Sessions was the only film to top $10,000 on the per theater chart with an average of $10,868 in 20 theaters. Earning some measure of mainstream success is very likely at this point. More...

Per Theater Chart: Mastering the Per Theater Chart

September 19th, 2012

We had a monster hit on the per theater chart, as The Master earned close to $750,000 in five theaters for an average of $147,262. This is unbelievably strong; however, one does have to take into account the particulars. The Master was released on 70mm and because this is such an unusual event, the tickets were sold at a premium price. The only other film to top the $10,000 mark was Arbitrage, which made just over $2 million in just under 200 theaters for an average of $10,163. More...

Dark Knight Puts the Spark in the Per Theater Chart

July 31st, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises remained on top of the per theater chart with an average of $14,101 in more than 4,400 theaters. Killer Joe opened with an average of $12,621 in three theaters, while Ruby Sparks was also strong with an average of $10,832 in thirteen. Both films have some potential to expand. Deep Sea 3-D remained strong with $10,412 in its lone theater. More...

Searching for Killer Limited Releases

July 27th, 2012

There are not a huge number of limited releases on this week's chart, but all of them are earning overall positive reviews, and a few of them are generating some strong buzz. Killer Joe is one such film, but its rating could prevent it from reaching a sizable audience. Ruby Sparks has far more populous appeal, but weaker reviews. Searching for Sugar Man has some of the best reviews of the month, but documentaries rarely escape the grasp of limited release. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 27, 2012 47 $27,459   3 $9,153   $27,459 1
Aug 3, 2012 41 $38,743 +41% 7 $5,535   $82,093 2
Aug 10, 2012 40 $63,342 +63% 15 $4,223   $166,368 3
Aug 17, 2012 36 $106,283 +68% 27 $3,936   $309,359 4
Aug 24, 2012 37 $121,211 +14% 29 $4,180   $495,153 5
Aug 31, 2012 39 $140,674 +16% 32 $4,396   $693,975 6
Sep 7, 2012 40 $114,455 -19% 33 $3,468   $892,596 7
Sep 14, 2012 41 $101,263 -12% 34 $2,978   $1,042,970 8
Sep 21, 2012 44 $93,338 -8% 38 $2,456   $1,186,139 9
Sep 28, 2012 44 $95,345 +2% 37 $2,577   $1,318,745 10
Oct 5, 2012 40 $86,563 -9% 38 $2,278   $1,435,234 11
Oct 12, 2012 22 $190,822 +120% 157 $1,215   $1,685,694 12
Oct 19, 2012 22 $197,188 +3% 137 $1,439   $1,968,290 13
Oct 26, 2012 27 $137,728 -30% 114 $1,208   $2,192,640 14
Nov 2, 2012 28 $149,114 +8% 105 $1,420   $2,410,566 15
Nov 9, 2012 33 $103,223 -31% 94 $1,098   $2,560,198 16
Nov 16, 2012 36 $68,832 -33% 54 $1,275   $2,670,917 17
Nov 30, 2012 41 $46,570   53 $879   $2,836,187 19
Dec 7, 2012 44 $36,822 -21% 42 $877   $2,893,916 20
Dec 14, 2012 52 $22,555 -39% 31 $728   $2,931,599 21
Dec 21, 2012 51 $15,703 -30% 25 $628   $2,960,488 22
Dec 28, 2012 43 $29,867 +90% 28 $1,067   $3,007,341 23
Jan 4, 2013 47 $26,723 -11% 26 $1,028   $3,058,667 24
Jan 11, 2013 47 $26,121 -2% 22 $1,187   $3,095,075 25
Jan 18, 2013 47 $32,029 +23% 27 $1,186   $3,138,421 26
Jan 25, 2013 50 $31,808 -1% 26 $1,223   $3,182,619 27
Feb 1, 2013 58 $19,917 -37% 18 $1,107   $3,212,491 28
Feb 8, 2013 58 $20,555 +3% 20 $1,028   $3,245,671 29
Feb 15, 2013 58 $23,347 +14% 19 $1,229   $3,278,313 30
Feb 22, 2013 52 $32,583 +40% 30 $1,086   $3,322,289 31
Mar 1, 2013 49 $57,552 +77% 39 $1,476   $3,394,465 32
Mar 8, 2013 45 $44,218 -23% 39 $1,134   $3,464,553 33
Mar 15, 2013 51 $35,855 -19% 34 $1,055   $3,521,523 34
Mar 22, 2013 54 $23,780 -34% 25 $951   $3,559,838 35
Mar 29, 2013 69 $15,440 -35% 16 $965   $3,588,618 36
Apr 5, 2013 64 $16,065 +4% 18 $893   $3,612,244 37
Apr 12, 2013 75 $9,234 -43% 14 $660   $3,626,832 38
Apr 19, 2013 73 $8,209 -11% 13 $631   $3,640,519 39
Apr 26, 2013 80 $5,287 -36% 8 $661   $3,648,145 40
May 3, 2013 86 $3,105 -41% 9 $345   $3,653,307 41
May 10, 2013 85 $4,638 +49% 7 $663   $3,662,322 42
May 17, 2013 85 $3,561 -23% 6 $594   $3,667,230 43
May 24, 2013 77 $3,621 +2% 6 $604   $3,672,707 44
Jun 7, 2013 76 $2,384   4 $596   $3,682,137 46
Jun 14, 2013 84 $1,420 -40% 4 $355   $3,684,598 47
Jun 21, 2013 90 $684 -52% 2 $342   $3,687,511 48
Jun 28, 2013 88 $446 -35% 1 $446   $3,688,458 49
Jul 19, 2013 97 $648   1 $648   $3,691,668 50
Jul 26, 2013 91 $356 -45% 2 $178   $3,692,402 51
Aug 2, 2013 87 $256 -28% 1 $256   $3,692,866 52
Aug 9, 2013 90 $1,568 +513% 1 $1,568   $3,964,808 53
Aug 16, 2013 106 $282 -82% 1 $282   $3,965,090 54

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 27, 2012 47 $43,350   3 $14,450   $43,350 1
Aug 3, 2012 48 $59,676 +38% 7 $8,525   $103,026 2
Aug 10, 2012 41 $100,050 +68% 15 $6,670   $203,076 3
Aug 17, 2012 37 $170,866 +71% 27 $6,328   $373,942 4
Aug 24, 2012 39 $179,359 +5% 29 $6,185   $553,301 5
Aug 31, 2012 39 $224,840 +25% 32 $7,026   $778,141 6
Sep 7, 2012 39 $163,566 -27% 33 $4,957   $941,707 7
Sep 14, 2012 40 $151,094 -8% 34 $4,444   $1,092,801 8
Sep 21, 2012 44 $130,599 -14% 38 $3,437   $1,223,400 9
Sep 28, 2012 44 $125,271 -4% 37 $3,386   $1,348,671 10
Oct 5, 2012 37 $146,201 +17% 38 $3,847   $1,494,872 11
Oct 12, 2012 22 $276,230 +89% 157 $1,759   $1,771,102 12
Oct 19, 2012 22 $283,810 +3% 137 $2,072   $2,054,912 13
Oct 26, 2012 26 $206,540 -27% 114 $1,812   $2,261,452 14
Nov 2, 2012 29 $195,523 -5% 105 $1,862   $2,456,975 15
Nov 9, 2012 33 $145,110 -26% 94 $1,544   $2,602,085 16
Nov 30, 2012 39 $67,477   53 $1,273   $2,857,094 19
Dec 7, 2012 45 $51,950 -23% 42 $1,237   $2,909,044 20
Dec 14, 2012 56 $35,741 -31% 31 $1,153   $2,944,785 21
Dec 28, 2012 43 $54,470   28 $1,945   $3,031,944 23
Jan 4, 2013 48 $37,010 -32% 26 $1,423   $3,068,954 24
Jan 11, 2013 44 $37,438 +1% 22 $1,702   $3,106,392 25
Jan 18, 2013 47 $44,419 +19% 27 $1,645   $3,150,811 26
Jan 25, 2013 52 $41,763 -6% 26 $1,606   $3,192,574 27
Feb 1, 2013 55 $32,542 -22% 18 $1,808   $3,225,116 28
Feb 8, 2013 62 $29,850 -8% 20 $1,493   $3,254,966 29
Feb 15, 2013 62 $23,347 -22% 19 $1,229   $3,278,313 30
Feb 22, 2013 51 $47,207 +102% 30 $1,574   $3,336,913 31
Mar 1, 2013 51 $83,422 +77% 39 $2,139   $3,420,335 32
Mar 8, 2013 46 $65,333 -22% 39 $1,675   $3,485,668 33
Mar 15, 2013 52 $50,390 -23% 34 $1,482   $3,536,058 34
Mar 22, 2013 58 $37,120 -26% 25 $1,485   $3,573,178 35
Mar 29, 2013 68 $23,001 -38% 16 $1,438   $3,596,179 36
Apr 5, 2013 67 $21,419 -7% 18 $1,190   $3,617,598 37
Apr 12, 2013 75 $14,712 -31% 14 $1,051   $3,632,310 38
Apr 19, 2013 75 $10,548 -28% 13 $811   $3,642,858 39
Apr 26, 2013 78 $7,344 -30% 8 $918   $3,650,202 40
May 3, 2013 83 $7,482 +2% 9 $831   $3,657,684 41
May 10, 2013 89 $5,985 -20% 7 $855   $3,663,669 42
May 17, 2013 85 $5,417 -9% 6 $903   $3,669,086 43
May 24, 2013 84 $3,621 -33% 6 $604   $3,672,707 44
Jun 7, 2013 91 $2,384   4 $596   $3,682,137 46
Jun 14, 2013 80 $3,649 +53% 4 $912   $3,686,827 47
Jun 21, 2013 93 $1,185 -68% 2 $593   $3,688,012 48
Jul 19, 2013 88 $1,026   1 $1,026   $3,692,046 49
Jul 26, 2013 86 $564 -45% 2 $282   $3,692,610 50
Aug 2, 2013 91 $630 +12% 1 $630   $3,693,240 51
Aug 9, 2013 88 $2,382 +278% 1 $2,382   $3,695,622 52
Aug 16, 2013 95 $574 -76% 1 $574   $3,696,196 53

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Australia 3/25/2021 $135 2 2 3 $716,556 9/5/2023
Austria 12/28/2012 $4,863 5 5 9 $25,180 12/13/2015
Croatia 4/11/2013 $464 3 3 3 $464 12/30/2018
Denmark 10/4/2012 $0 0 5 10 $159,239 12/12/2015
Italy 10/16/2023 $0000$0
Lebanon 2/7/2013 $1,346 1 1 6 $13,464 12/30/2018
Netherlands 12/20/2012 $480 3 3 3 $480 12/13/2015
New Zealand 10/14/2012 $0 0 15 79 $231,861 9/21/2020
Norway 12/25/2012 $13,416 19 19 28 $44,534 12/13/2015
Poland 2/22/2013 $0 0 33 153 $342,485 12/30/2018
South Korea 10/11/2012 $0 0 36 36 $163,568 10/18/2023
Spain 2/22/2013 $0 0 13 105 $1,085,246 12/13/2015
Sweden 8/24/2012 $0 0 67 297 $1,749,108 12/14/2015
United Arab Emirates 12/6/2012 $619 1 1 1 $800 12/29/2018
United Kingdom 7/27/2012 $108,044 28 43 161 $566,468 12/11/2015
 
Rest of World $3,837,958
 
International Total$8,937,411 10/18/2023

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Jan 27, 2013197,936 7,936$182,438$182,4381

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.