Half Nelson (2006)

Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $2,697,938Details
International Box Office $2,213,787Details
Worldwide Box Office $4,911,725
Home Market Performance
Est. Domestic DVD Sales $1,557,458 Details
Total Est. Domestic Video Sales $1,557,458
Further financial details...

Synopsis

Dan Dunne is an idealistic inner-city junior high school teacher. Although he can get it together in the classroom, he spends his time outside school on the edge of consciousness. He juggles his hangovers and his homework, keeping his lives precariously separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey, catches him in a compromising situation. From this awkward beginning, Dan and Drey stumble into an unexpected friendship that threatens either to undo them, or to provide the vital change they both need to move forward in their lives.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$53,983 (2.0% of total gross)
Legs:9.28 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:54.9% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$700,000 (worldwide box office is 7.0 times production budget)
Theater counts:2 opening theaters/105 max. theaters, 7.1 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $4,337,286

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon
iTunes:iTunes

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 11th, 2006 (Limited) by ThinkFilm
Video Release: February 13th, 2007 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R for drug content throughout, language and some sexuality
Running Time: 87 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Drinking Buddies
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Life Drama, Teachers, Addiction, Inspirational Teacher, Set in Brooklyn, Set in New York City, Set in New York, Drug Dealer, African Americans
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Drama
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: THINKFilm, Hunting Lane Films, Silverwood Films, Original Media, Journeyman Pictures
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Top 2006 Theater Average 24 $26,992 Aug 11, 2006 3

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 11, 2006 49 $53,983   2 $26,992   $53,983 1
Aug 18, 2006 51 $56,264 +4% 3 $18,755   $147,246 2
Aug 25, 2006 34 $210,762 +275% 21 $10,036   $389,972 3
Sep 1, 2006 33 $233,863 +11% 36 $6,496   $724,640 4
Sep 8, 2006 32 $226,840 -3% 63 $3,601   $1,070,302 5
Sep 15, 2006 30 $279,112 +23% 86 $3,245   $1,441,944 6
Sep 22, 2006 28 $290,708 +4% 105 $2,769   $1,838,817 7
Sep 29, 2006 28 $232,823 -20% 105 $2,217   $2,175,988 8
Oct 6, 2006 37 $122,180 -48% 99 $1,234   $2,378,723 9
Oct 13, 2006 48 $75,295 -38% 80 $941   $2,506,509 10
Oct 20, 2006 50 $48,666 -35% 61 $798   $2,591,047 11
Oct 27, 2006 64 $20,515 -58% 38 $540   $2,639,124 12
Nov 3, 2006 87 $6,288 -69% 16 $393   $2,653,746 13
Nov 10, 2006 72 $10,995 +75% 12 $916   $2,667,944 14
Nov 17, 2006 71 $6,766 -38% 9 $752   $2,680,659 15
Nov 24, 2006 89 $2,434 -64% 5 $487   $2,684,452 16
Dec 1, 2006 108 $489 -80% 1 $489   $2,687,199 17
Dec 8, 2006 73 $5,488 +1,022% 5 $1,098   $2,694,973 18

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Sep 4, 2006 35 $63,800     36 $1,772   $788,440 25

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 11, 2006 50 $90,982   2 $45,491   $90,982 1
Aug 18, 2006 52 $88,228 -3% 3 $29,409   $179,210 2
Aug 25, 2006 32 $311,567 +253% 21 $14,837   $490,777 3
Sep 1, 2006 36 $352,685 +13% 36 $9,797   $843,462 4
Sep 8, 2006 30 $319,370 -9% 63 $5,069   $1,162,832 5
Sep 15, 2006 29 $385,277 +21% 86 $4,480   $1,548,109 6
Sep 22, 2006 26 $395,056 +3% 105 $3,762   $1,943,165 7
Sep 29, 2006 27 $313,378 -21% 105 $2,985   $2,256,543 8
Oct 6, 2006 38 $174,671 -44% 99 $1,764   $2,431,214 9
Oct 13, 2006 49 $111,167 -36% 80 $1,390   $2,542,381 10
Oct 20, 2006 48 $76,228 -31% 61 $1,250   $2,618,609 11
Oct 27, 2006 64 $28,849 -62% 38 $759   $2,647,458 12
Nov 3, 2006 86 $9,491 -67% 16 $593   $2,656,949 13
Nov 10, 2006 76 $16,944 +79% 18 $941   $2,673,893 14
Nov 17, 2006 85 $7,929 -53% 9 $881   $2,681,822 15
Nov 24, 2006 90 $4,888 -38% 6 $815   $2,686,710 16
Dec 1, 2006 94 $2,775 -43% 3 $925   $2,689,485 17
Dec 8, 2006 74 $8,453 +205% 6 $1,409   $2,697,938 18

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


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.

Leading Cast

Ryan Gosling    Dan Dunne
Shareeka Epps    Drey
Anthony Mackie    Frank

Supporting Cast

Jay O. Sanders    Russ Dunne
Monique Gabriela Curnen    Isabel
Karen Chilton    Karen
Tina Holmes    Rachel
Tristan Wilds    Jamal
Collins Pennie    Mike
Deborah Rush    Jo Dunne

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

Production and Technical Credits

Ryan Fleck    Director
Anna Boden    Screenwriter
Ryan Fleck    Screenwriter
Anna Boden    Producer
Jamie Patricof    Producer
Alex Orlovsky    Producer
Lynette Howell    Producer
Rosanne Korenberg    Producer
Paul Mezey    Executive Producer
Doug Dey    Executive Producer
Scott London    Executive Producer
Charlie Corwin    Executive Producer
Clara Markowitz    Executive Producer
Jeremy Kipp Walker    Co-Producer
Hunter Gray    Associate Producer
Anna Boden    Editor
Andrij Parekh    Cinematographer
Beth Mickle    Production Designer
Erin Benach    Costume Designer
Doug Bernheim    Music Producer
Rich Kleiman    Music Producer
Eyde Belasco    Casting Director

Award Season - Little Miss Big Winner

February 25th, 2007

While the Independent Spirit Award announces their nominations earlier than anyone else, they only handed the awards last night. The two big winners were Little Miss Sunshine and Half Nelson, but both have to be seen as underdogs for tonight's Oscars. More...

Departed Arrives on the Home Market

February 24th, 2007

Despite having seven new releases to chart this week, only one of them made it to the top five. However, that film was The Departed and it dominated both the rental and the sales chart. It took in $9.86 million in rentals during its first week of releases pushing Flags of Our Fathers into second place with $6.33 million. More...

DVD Releases for February 13, 2007

February 12th, 2007

In terms of raw numbers, this isn't as busy a week as last, but there are a lot more releases worthy of discussing, including several that I rate highly. The short-lived series Grosse Pointe - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon gets its wide release after being an Amazon exclusive since November. Half Nelson - Buy from Amazon comes up just in time for Oscar buzz to reach its peak. Meanwhile, ... So Goes the Nation - Buy from Amazon should get the political junkies all worked up. However, the clear winner of the DVD Pick of the Week is The Departed - 2-Disc Special Edition. My only concern is the likelihood of a super special edition coming out after it wins several Oscars. More...

Award Season - Oscar Nods Offer Little Surprises - Correction

January 23rd, 2007

The Oscar nominations were handed out today and for the most part they've followed the script written by previous awards committees fairly closely. More...

Award Season - SAG Spreads the Love

January 5th, 2007

The Screen Actors Guide handed out their nominations yesterday and of the 5 theatrical categories, there were more than a dozen films to pick up at least one nomination. More...

Award Season - Fighting for Independence

November 29th, 2006

As always, Award Season officially begins with the announcing of the Independent Spirit Award nominations. While this is the first major awards to announce their nominations, they are one of the last to hand them out so the nominees have a long wait ahead of them. More...

Royalty Rule the Per Theatre Chart

October 3rd, 2006

The Queen was crowned champion of the per theatre charts this weekend after it earned an astounding $122,000 in 3 theatres for an average of $40,671. Even more impressive is the fact that it earned that in just two days as Friday's debut was actually part of the New York Film Festival and not a theatrical release. Second place went to another regally titled film, The Last King of Scotland; this film brought in $143,000 in 4 theatres for an average of $35,725. Even more impressive is the fact that it opened on Wednesday, which undoubtedly kept its weekend box office lower than it otherwise would have been. Both films seemed poised to earn some measure of mainstream success, which will really help their chances come awards season. There were two other films to top $10,000 on the per theatre charts, Old Joy at $13,029 and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints at $11,848. More...

Opening the Door to the Per Theater Charts

September 12th, 2006

Red Doors earned top spot on the per theatre charts after starting its theatrical run with just over $35,000 in its two theatres for an average of $17,525. Hopefully this will allow the film to expand in the coming weeks. Man Push Cart was the only other film to top $10,000 as it took in $13,694 in its lone theatre. More...

Per Theatre Charts - No Illusion

August 29th, 2006

The Illusionist was able to climb to the top of the per theatre charts this week despite seeing its theatre count nearly triple. The film's average of $12,745 was significantly, but not overwhelmingly ahead of second place Suicide Killers, which earned $10,601 in its lone theatre. Half Nelson, which led the charts the previous two weeks, slipped to third but still managed to maintain its $10,000 per theatre average with nearly $211,000 in 21 theatres for an average of $10,036. More...

Nelson Continues to Put Strangle Hold on Per Theatre Charts

August 22nd, 2006

Half Nelson was able to remain on top of the per theatre charts, barely, with an average of $18,755 in three theatres. That was less than $1,000 ahead of the second place film, The Illusionist and its $18,195 average; that figure is made even more impressive by the film's 51 theatre count, which is very high for a limited release and usually causes serious problems because the distributor can't do national advertising, but local advertising in lots of markets becomes very expensive.

For the third weekend in a row, The Wedding Curse's average topped $10,000 as it earned just over $50,000 in 3 theatres for an average of $17,271. Another holdover rounded out the list of $10,000 films as Viva Pedro saw its box office dip less than 24% to $10,227 in its lone theatre. More...

Movie Website Updates for August 5 - August 11

August 11th, 2006

The torrid pace of website updates continues with more than 30 films on this week's list. There were a few sites that really caught my eye, but it was Trust the Man - Official Site and its interactive map of New York City and its more than 2 dozen clips that won the Weekly Website Award. More...

Viva Limited Releases!

August 11th, 2006

More than ten limited releases on this week's list including a couple that should earn some measure of mainstream success, Conversations with Other Women and Half Nelson. While the Canadian release, Bon Cop, Bad Cop, could break records north of the border. More...

Movie Website Updates for July 29 - August 4

August 4th, 2006

Third week in a row where the number of sites featured on this list has topped 30. With such a busy week it would take something different to win the award, and that's something Michel Gondry excels at delivering giving The Science of Sleep - Official Site the Weekly Website Award. More...

Movie Website Updates for July 22 - July 28

July 28th, 2006

Another big week for movie sites with several excellent entries. In this crowded field there were a lot of sites that showed promise and could be just one big update away from winning the award. But this week the best of the best was World Trade Center - Official Site. Let's hope that the movie can live up to the site. More...

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

Synopsis

Dan Dunne is an idealistic inner-city junior high school teacher. Although he can get it together in the classroom, he spends his time outside school on the edge of consciousness. He juggles his hangovers and his homework, keeping his lives precariously separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey, catches him in a compromising situation. From this awkward beginning, Dan and Drey stumble into an unexpected friendship that threatens either to undo them, or to provide the vital change they both need to move forward in their lives.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$53,983 (2.0% of total gross)
Legs:9.28 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:54.9% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$700,000 (worldwide box office is 7.0 times production budget)
Theater counts:2 opening theaters/105 max. theaters, 7.1 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $4,337,286

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon
iTunes:iTunes

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 11th, 2006 (Limited) by ThinkFilm
Video Release: February 13th, 2007 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R for drug content throughout, language and some sexuality
Running Time: 87 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Drinking Buddies
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Life Drama, Teachers, Addiction, Inspirational Teacher, Set in Brooklyn, Set in New York City, Set in New York, Drug Dealer, African Americans
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Drama
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: THINKFilm, Hunting Lane Films, Silverwood Films, Original Media, Journeyman Pictures
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Top 2006 Theater Average 24 $26,992 Aug 11, 2006 3

Leading Cast

Ryan Gosling    Dan Dunne
Shareeka Epps    Drey
Anthony Mackie    Frank

Supporting Cast

Jay O. Sanders    Russ Dunne
Monique Gabriela Curnen    Isabel
Karen Chilton    Karen
Tina Holmes    Rachel
Tristan Wilds    Jamal
Collins Pennie    Mike
Deborah Rush    Jo Dunne

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

Production and Technical Credits

Ryan Fleck    Director
Anna Boden    Screenwriter
Ryan Fleck    Screenwriter
Anna Boden    Producer
Jamie Patricof    Producer
Alex Orlovsky    Producer
Lynette Howell    Producer
Rosanne Korenberg    Producer
Paul Mezey    Executive Producer
Doug Dey    Executive Producer
Scott London    Executive Producer
Charlie Corwin    Executive Producer
Clara Markowitz    Executive Producer
Jeremy Kipp Walker    Co-Producer
Hunter Gray    Associate Producer
Anna Boden    Editor
Andrij Parekh    Cinematographer
Beth Mickle    Production Designer
Erin Benach    Costume Designer
Doug Bernheim    Music Producer
Rich Kleiman    Music Producer
Eyde Belasco    Casting Director

Award Season - Little Miss Big Winner

February 25th, 2007

While the Independent Spirit Award announces their nominations earlier than anyone else, they only handed the awards last night. The two big winners were Little Miss Sunshine and Half Nelson, but both have to be seen as underdogs for tonight's Oscars. More...

Departed Arrives on the Home Market

February 24th, 2007

Despite having seven new releases to chart this week, only one of them made it to the top five. However, that film was The Departed and it dominated both the rental and the sales chart. It took in $9.86 million in rentals during its first week of releases pushing Flags of Our Fathers into second place with $6.33 million. More...

DVD Releases for February 13, 2007

February 12th, 2007

In terms of raw numbers, this isn't as busy a week as last, but there are a lot more releases worthy of discussing, including several that I rate highly. The short-lived series Grosse Pointe - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon gets its wide release after being an Amazon exclusive since November. Half Nelson - Buy from Amazon comes up just in time for Oscar buzz to reach its peak. Meanwhile, ... So Goes the Nation - Buy from Amazon should get the political junkies all worked up. However, the clear winner of the DVD Pick of the Week is The Departed - 2-Disc Special Edition. My only concern is the likelihood of a super special edition coming out after it wins several Oscars. More...

Award Season - Oscar Nods Offer Little Surprises - Correction

January 23rd, 2007

The Oscar nominations were handed out today and for the most part they've followed the script written by previous awards committees fairly closely. More...

Award Season - SAG Spreads the Love

January 5th, 2007

The Screen Actors Guide handed out their nominations yesterday and of the 5 theatrical categories, there were more than a dozen films to pick up at least one nomination. More...

Award Season - Fighting for Independence

November 29th, 2006

As always, Award Season officially begins with the announcing of the Independent Spirit Award nominations. While this is the first major awards to announce their nominations, they are one of the last to hand them out so the nominees have a long wait ahead of them. More...

Royalty Rule the Per Theatre Chart

October 3rd, 2006

The Queen was crowned champion of the per theatre charts this weekend after it earned an astounding $122,000 in 3 theatres for an average of $40,671. Even more impressive is the fact that it earned that in just two days as Friday's debut was actually part of the New York Film Festival and not a theatrical release. Second place went to another regally titled film, The Last King of Scotland; this film brought in $143,000 in 4 theatres for an average of $35,725. Even more impressive is the fact that it opened on Wednesday, which undoubtedly kept its weekend box office lower than it otherwise would have been. Both films seemed poised to earn some measure of mainstream success, which will really help their chances come awards season. There were two other films to top $10,000 on the per theatre charts, Old Joy at $13,029 and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints at $11,848. More...

Opening the Door to the Per Theater Charts

September 12th, 2006

Red Doors earned top spot on the per theatre charts after starting its theatrical run with just over $35,000 in its two theatres for an average of $17,525. Hopefully this will allow the film to expand in the coming weeks. Man Push Cart was the only other film to top $10,000 as it took in $13,694 in its lone theatre. More...

Per Theatre Charts - No Illusion

August 29th, 2006

The Illusionist was able to climb to the top of the per theatre charts this week despite seeing its theatre count nearly triple. The film's average of $12,745 was significantly, but not overwhelmingly ahead of second place Suicide Killers, which earned $10,601 in its lone theatre. Half Nelson, which led the charts the previous two weeks, slipped to third but still managed to maintain its $10,000 per theatre average with nearly $211,000 in 21 theatres for an average of $10,036. More...

Nelson Continues to Put Strangle Hold on Per Theatre Charts

August 22nd, 2006

Half Nelson was able to remain on top of the per theatre charts, barely, with an average of $18,755 in three theatres. That was less than $1,000 ahead of the second place film, The Illusionist and its $18,195 average; that figure is made even more impressive by the film's 51 theatre count, which is very high for a limited release and usually causes serious problems because the distributor can't do national advertising, but local advertising in lots of markets becomes very expensive.

For the third weekend in a row, The Wedding Curse's average topped $10,000 as it earned just over $50,000 in 3 theatres for an average of $17,271. Another holdover rounded out the list of $10,000 films as Viva Pedro saw its box office dip less than 24% to $10,227 in its lone theatre. More...

Movie Website Updates for August 5 - August 11

August 11th, 2006

The torrid pace of website updates continues with more than 30 films on this week's list. There were a few sites that really caught my eye, but it was Trust the Man - Official Site and its interactive map of New York City and its more than 2 dozen clips that won the Weekly Website Award. More...

Viva Limited Releases!

August 11th, 2006

More than ten limited releases on this week's list including a couple that should earn some measure of mainstream success, Conversations with Other Women and Half Nelson. While the Canadian release, Bon Cop, Bad Cop, could break records north of the border. More...

Movie Website Updates for July 29 - August 4

August 4th, 2006

Third week in a row where the number of sites featured on this list has topped 30. With such a busy week it would take something different to win the award, and that's something Michel Gondry excels at delivering giving The Science of Sleep - Official Site the Weekly Website Award. More...

Movie Website Updates for July 22 - July 28

July 28th, 2006

Another big week for movie sites with several excellent entries. In this crowded field there were a lot of sites that showed promise and could be just one big update away from winning the award. But this week the best of the best was World Trade Center - Official Site. Let's hope that the movie can live up to the site. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 11, 2006 49 $53,983   2 $26,992   $53,983 1
Aug 18, 2006 51 $56,264 +4% 3 $18,755   $147,246 2
Aug 25, 2006 34 $210,762 +275% 21 $10,036   $389,972 3
Sep 1, 2006 33 $233,863 +11% 36 $6,496   $724,640 4
Sep 8, 2006 32 $226,840 -3% 63 $3,601   $1,070,302 5
Sep 15, 2006 30 $279,112 +23% 86 $3,245   $1,441,944 6
Sep 22, 2006 28 $290,708 +4% 105 $2,769   $1,838,817 7
Sep 29, 2006 28 $232,823 -20% 105 $2,217   $2,175,988 8
Oct 6, 2006 37 $122,180 -48% 99 $1,234   $2,378,723 9
Oct 13, 2006 48 $75,295 -38% 80 $941   $2,506,509 10
Oct 20, 2006 50 $48,666 -35% 61 $798   $2,591,047 11
Oct 27, 2006 64 $20,515 -58% 38 $540   $2,639,124 12
Nov 3, 2006 87 $6,288 -69% 16 $393   $2,653,746 13
Nov 10, 2006 72 $10,995 +75% 12 $916   $2,667,944 14
Nov 17, 2006 71 $6,766 -38% 9 $752   $2,680,659 15
Nov 24, 2006 89 $2,434 -64% 5 $487   $2,684,452 16
Dec 1, 2006 108 $489 -80% 1 $489   $2,687,199 17
Dec 8, 2006 73 $5,488 +1,022% 5 $1,098   $2,694,973 18

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Sep 4, 2006 35 $63,800     36 $1,772   $788,440 25

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 11, 2006 50 $90,982   2 $45,491   $90,982 1
Aug 18, 2006 52 $88,228 -3% 3 $29,409   $179,210 2
Aug 25, 2006 32 $311,567 +253% 21 $14,837   $490,777 3
Sep 1, 2006 36 $352,685 +13% 36 $9,797   $843,462 4
Sep 8, 2006 30 $319,370 -9% 63 $5,069   $1,162,832 5
Sep 15, 2006 29 $385,277 +21% 86 $4,480   $1,548,109 6
Sep 22, 2006 26 $395,056 +3% 105 $3,762   $1,943,165 7
Sep 29, 2006 27 $313,378 -21% 105 $2,985   $2,256,543 8
Oct 6, 2006 38 $174,671 -44% 99 $1,764   $2,431,214 9
Oct 13, 2006 49 $111,167 -36% 80 $1,390   $2,542,381 10
Oct 20, 2006 48 $76,228 -31% 61 $1,250   $2,618,609 11
Oct 27, 2006 64 $28,849 -62% 38 $759   $2,647,458 12
Nov 3, 2006 86 $9,491 -67% 16 $593   $2,656,949 13
Nov 10, 2006 76 $16,944 +79% 18 $941   $2,673,893 14
Nov 17, 2006 85 $7,929 -53% 9 $881   $2,681,822 15
Nov 24, 2006 90 $4,888 -38% 6 $815   $2,686,710 16
Dec 1, 2006 94 $2,775 -43% 3 $925   $2,689,485 17
Dec 8, 2006 74 $8,453 +205% 6 $1,409   $2,697,938 18

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


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.