How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)

Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $2,775,593Details
International Box Office $9,255,850Details
Worldwide Box Office $12,031,443
Further financial details...

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$1,430,294 (51.5% of total gross)
Legs:1.94 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:23.1% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$28,000,000 (worldwide box office is 0.4 times production budget)
Theater counts:1,750 opening theaters/1,750 max. theaters, 2.1 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $4,167,246

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

iTunes:iTunes

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: October 3rd, 2008 (Wide) by MGM
Video Release: February 17th, 2009 by MGM Video, released as How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
MPAA Rating: R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material
Running Time: 105 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Comedy Drama, Biography, Non-Drama Biographies, Inspired by a True Story, Writing and Writers, Corporate Life, Romance, Infidelity, Gratuitous Cameos, Relationships Gone Wrong
Source:Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre:Comedy
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: Intandem Films, Film4, UK Film Council, Aramid Entertainment, Lipsync Productions, Number 9 Films, Audley Films
Production Countries: United Kingdom
Languages: English

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 3, 2008 19 $1,430,294   1,750 $817   $1,430,294 1
Oct 10, 2008 26 $440,066 -69% 1,673 $263   $2,458,092 2
Oct 17, 2008 55 $35,948 -92% 122 $295   $2,725,950 3
Oct 24, 2008 83 $7,400 -79% 18 $411   $2,749,503 4
Oct 31, 2008 112 $1,935 -74% 5 $387   $2,755,611 5
Nov 7, 2008 121 $926 -52% 2 $463   $2,757,713 6
Nov 14, 2008 110 $1,086 +17% 5 $217   $2,759,150 7
Nov 21, 2008 106 $772 -29% 4 $193   $2,760,453 8
Nov 28, 2008 72 $5,479 +610% 29 $189   $2,768,010 9
Dec 5, 2008 77 $4,740 -13% 26 $182   $2,775,593 10

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Oct 3, 2008 16 $471,330   1,750 $269   $471,330 1
Oct 4, 2008 - $591,503 +25% 1,750 $338   $1,062,833 2
Oct 5, 2008 - $367,461 -38% 1,750 $210   $1,430,294 3
Oct 6, 2008 16 $139,943 -62% 1,750 $80   $1,570,237 4
Oct 7, 2008 16 $149,402 +7% 1,750 $85   $1,719,639 5
Oct 8, 2008 16 $147,137 -2% 1,750 $84   $1,866,776 6
Oct 9, 2008 16 $151,250 +3% 1,750 $86   $2,018,026 7

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 3, 2008 17 $2,018,026   1,750 $1,153   $2,018,026 1
Oct 10, 2008 24 $671,976 -67% 1,673 $402   $2,690,002 2
Oct 17, 2008 53 $52,101 -92% 122 $427   $2,742,103 3
Oct 24, 2008 81 $11,573 -78% 18 $643   $2,753,676 4
Oct 31, 2008 109 $3,111 -73% 5 $622   $2,756,787 5
Nov 7, 2008 117 $1,277 -59% 2 $639   $2,758,064 6
Nov 14, 2008 105 $1,617 +27% 5 $323   $2,759,681 7
Nov 21, 2008 93 $2,850 +76% 4 $713   $2,762,531 8
Nov 28, 2008 71 $8,322 +192% 29 $287   $2,770,853 9
Dec 5, 2008 86 $4,740 -43% 26 $182   $2,775,593 10

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

Simon Pegg    Sidney Young

Supporting Cast

Kirsten Dunst    Alison Olsen
Danny Huston    Lawrence Maddox
Gillian Anderson    Eleanor Johnson
Megan Fox    Sophie Maes
Miriam Margolyes    Mrs. Kowalski
Bill Paterson    Richard Young
Max Minghella    Vincent Lepak
Diana Kent    Rachel Petkoff
Jeff Bridges    Clayton Harding

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

Production and Technical Credits

Robert B. Weide    Director
Peter Straughan    Screenwriter
Toby Young    Story Creator

DVD Rentals - Body Wins, and That's the Truth

March 3rd, 2009

There were seven new releases to chart this week, and a few others that just missed that mark. The winner was Body of Lies with roughly 20% more revenue than second place Changeling. More...

DVD Releases for February 17, 2009 - Part I

February 17th, 2009

This felt like a slow week to me, but looking at the list there were 15 spotlight reviews, which is a huge amount for one week. There are a large number of DVDs worth checking out, but looking at the top of the list, I think Christopher Titus - Love is Evol is the best DVD coming out this week, and the winner of the DVD Pick of the Week. As has happened pretty much every week this year, there are so many DVDs on this week's list that is had to be split into two. The second part can be found here. More...

International Details - Number One is Number Six

November 3rd, 2008

Public Enemy Number One Part 1 opened in first place in France with $5.66 million on 489 screens. Adding in a couple of smaller markets and it pulled in $5.80 million on 527 screens in 3 markets over the weekend, landing in sixth place internationally. More...

International Details - Barcelona Strong in France, Italy

October 26th, 2008

Vicky Cristina Barcelona remained in sixth place internationally with $6.66 million on 1136 screens in 11 markets for a total of $22.85 million after a month of release. This includes France, where the film remained in first place with $3.15 million on 443 screens for the week and $7.68 million after two. Meanwhile, it opened in Italy with $2.16 million on 378 screens, which was enough for second place in that market. More...

Most New Releases Turn Out to be Dogs

October 13th, 2008

With four wide releases this past weekend, I knew not all of them would be hits, but I also didn't expect all of them to be misses. Perhaps that's not entirely fair, and given the production budgets involved, not all films flopped at the box office, but enough did that overall box office receipts dropped 10% to $102 million. Compared to the same week last year, that still represents an increase, albeit by less than 3%, which is more or less in line with ticket price inflation. Year-to-date, 2008 and 2007 have both brought in $7.38 billion, but 2008 has had the edge the past few weeks and could retake the lead this upcoming weekend. More...

International Details - United Germany Lifts Teutonic Offering

October 12th, 2008

German Unification Day helped The Baader Meinhof Complex grow by 10% as it remained in second place in Germany with $4.82 million on 594 screens for a total of $10.99 million after two weeks. Adding in two smaller markets and the film made $5.35 million on 660 screens in 3 markets for a total of $12.06 million. More...

Doggoneit!

October 7th, 2008

Of the eight films that opened or expanded on Friday, only two were able to do some serious business, while most were lucky if they topped the Mendoza line by earning more than $2,000 per theater. It was just a disaster, in many ways. That said, it was still the first weekend in October and the overall box office was up 13% from last weekend to $113 million. More importantly, it was 35% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2008 closed the gap with 2007. 2008 is just a little below and 2007 a little above $7.25 billion. By this time next week, 2008 could retake the lead, at least in terms of raw dollars. More...

Movie Website Reviews for Weekend of October 3, 2008

October 5th, 2008

A busy week for new releases with more than a dozen sites here, but most were just average. The best of this week's selection was the Official Site for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which has enough of the basics, extras, and style to stand out. More...

Weekend Estimates: Beverly Hills Chihuahua Scores Healthy Win

October 5th, 2008

Beverly Hills Chihuahua rose above a very crowded field of openers to claim the box office crown, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. The movie scored Disney's biggest opening weekend in October with an estimated $29 million. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist also performed well with a $12 million debut in 2,421 theaters. That's a great return for a movie with a budget reported at $13 million. The other strong performer was Appaloosa, which expanded to 1,045 theaters and pulled in $5.015 million for an impressive 5th place. The rest of the wide openers didn't fare so well, although a couple of limited releases impressed... More...

Contest - Express Delivery

October 3rd, 2008

The widest release of next week is The Express, which is an inspirational sports movie, which tend to be predictable players at the box office. It is also the target film on this week's Box Office Prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office of The Express. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a mini-poster from How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, a copy of South Of Pico on DVD, Pathology on DVD, Cyborg Solider on DVD, and finally Kill Switch on DVD. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also win a mini-poster from How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, as well as Cyborg Solider on DVD, Kill Switch on DVD, as well as Deception on DVD. Finally, one additional entrant will be chosen at random to receive the final copies of Cyborg Solider on DVD and Kill Switch on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Tight Competition Likely to Squeeze out Most Films

October 3rd, 2008

If you thought last weekend was too busy, this weekend is worse with eight films opening or expanding wide, or at least wide-ish. However, only one film is opening at saturation level (3,000 or more theaters) and one other is opening truly wide (2,000 or more theaters). After those two films, the rest of the new releases will be forced to fight over the table scraps. More...

2008 Preview: October

October 1st, 2008

September ends, and for that we are all very grateful. However, while we are entering the final push for 2008 at the box office, things don't look too rosy for the upcoming month. First of all, there are way too many films opening, including eight that are opening or expanding on the first weekend. Of those two, maybe three will thrive. Most will sink without being noticed, which could negatively affect the overall box office going forward. On the other hand, there are a few films opening this month that could be players come Awards Season, which is just around the corner. Perhaps this will help a few mid-level hits rise above the crowd. More...

Cast Updates - August 23, 2008

August 23rd, 2008

This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Extract, Gnomeo and Juliet, My Life in Ruins, and more! More...

New Movie US Release Dates - April 20, 2008

April 20th, 2008

This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for The Soloist, The Uninvited, Avatar: The Last Airbender and more! More...


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

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$1,430,294 (51.5% of total gross)
Legs:1.94 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:23.1% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$28,000,000 (worldwide box office is 0.4 times production budget)
Theater counts:1,750 opening theaters/1,750 max. theaters, 2.1 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $4,167,246

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

iTunes:iTunes

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: October 3rd, 2008 (Wide) by MGM
Video Release: February 17th, 2009 by MGM Video, released as How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
MPAA Rating: R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material
Running Time: 105 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Comedy Drama, Biography, Non-Drama Biographies, Inspired by a True Story, Writing and Writers, Corporate Life, Romance, Infidelity, Gratuitous Cameos, Relationships Gone Wrong
Source:Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre:Comedy
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: Intandem Films, Film4, UK Film Council, Aramid Entertainment, Lipsync Productions, Number 9 Films, Audley Films
Production Countries: United Kingdom
Languages: English

Leading Cast

Simon Pegg    Sidney Young

Supporting Cast

Kirsten Dunst    Alison Olsen
Danny Huston    Lawrence Maddox
Gillian Anderson    Eleanor Johnson
Megan Fox    Sophie Maes
Miriam Margolyes    Mrs. Kowalski
Bill Paterson    Richard Young
Max Minghella    Vincent Lepak
Diana Kent    Rachel Petkoff
Jeff Bridges    Clayton Harding

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

Production and Technical Credits

Robert B. Weide    Director
Peter Straughan    Screenwriter
Toby Young    Story Creator

DVD Rentals - Body Wins, and That's the Truth

March 3rd, 2009

There were seven new releases to chart this week, and a few others that just missed that mark. The winner was Body of Lies with roughly 20% more revenue than second place Changeling. More...

DVD Releases for February 17, 2009 - Part I

February 17th, 2009

This felt like a slow week to me, but looking at the list there were 15 spotlight reviews, which is a huge amount for one week. There are a large number of DVDs worth checking out, but looking at the top of the list, I think Christopher Titus - Love is Evol is the best DVD coming out this week, and the winner of the DVD Pick of the Week. As has happened pretty much every week this year, there are so many DVDs on this week's list that is had to be split into two. The second part can be found here. More...

International Details - Number One is Number Six

November 3rd, 2008

Public Enemy Number One Part 1 opened in first place in France with $5.66 million on 489 screens. Adding in a couple of smaller markets and it pulled in $5.80 million on 527 screens in 3 markets over the weekend, landing in sixth place internationally. More...

International Details - Barcelona Strong in France, Italy

October 26th, 2008

Vicky Cristina Barcelona remained in sixth place internationally with $6.66 million on 1136 screens in 11 markets for a total of $22.85 million after a month of release. This includes France, where the film remained in first place with $3.15 million on 443 screens for the week and $7.68 million after two. Meanwhile, it opened in Italy with $2.16 million on 378 screens, which was enough for second place in that market. More...

Most New Releases Turn Out to be Dogs

October 13th, 2008

With four wide releases this past weekend, I knew not all of them would be hits, but I also didn't expect all of them to be misses. Perhaps that's not entirely fair, and given the production budgets involved, not all films flopped at the box office, but enough did that overall box office receipts dropped 10% to $102 million. Compared to the same week last year, that still represents an increase, albeit by less than 3%, which is more or less in line with ticket price inflation. Year-to-date, 2008 and 2007 have both brought in $7.38 billion, but 2008 has had the edge the past few weeks and could retake the lead this upcoming weekend. More...

International Details - United Germany Lifts Teutonic Offering

October 12th, 2008

German Unification Day helped The Baader Meinhof Complex grow by 10% as it remained in second place in Germany with $4.82 million on 594 screens for a total of $10.99 million after two weeks. Adding in two smaller markets and the film made $5.35 million on 660 screens in 3 markets for a total of $12.06 million. More...

Doggoneit!

October 7th, 2008

Of the eight films that opened or expanded on Friday, only two were able to do some serious business, while most were lucky if they topped the Mendoza line by earning more than $2,000 per theater. It was just a disaster, in many ways. That said, it was still the first weekend in October and the overall box office was up 13% from last weekend to $113 million. More importantly, it was 35% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2008 closed the gap with 2007. 2008 is just a little below and 2007 a little above $7.25 billion. By this time next week, 2008 could retake the lead, at least in terms of raw dollars. More...

Movie Website Reviews for Weekend of October 3, 2008

October 5th, 2008

A busy week for new releases with more than a dozen sites here, but most were just average. The best of this week's selection was the Official Site for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which has enough of the basics, extras, and style to stand out. More...

Weekend Estimates: Beverly Hills Chihuahua Scores Healthy Win

October 5th, 2008

Beverly Hills Chihuahua rose above a very crowded field of openers to claim the box office crown, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. The movie scored Disney's biggest opening weekend in October with an estimated $29 million. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist also performed well with a $12 million debut in 2,421 theaters. That's a great return for a movie with a budget reported at $13 million. The other strong performer was Appaloosa, which expanded to 1,045 theaters and pulled in $5.015 million for an impressive 5th place. The rest of the wide openers didn't fare so well, although a couple of limited releases impressed... More...

Contest - Express Delivery

October 3rd, 2008

The widest release of next week is The Express, which is an inspirational sports movie, which tend to be predictable players at the box office. It is also the target film on this week's Box Office Prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office of The Express. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a mini-poster from How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, a copy of South Of Pico on DVD, Pathology on DVD, Cyborg Solider on DVD, and finally Kill Switch on DVD. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also win a mini-poster from How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, as well as Cyborg Solider on DVD, Kill Switch on DVD, as well as Deception on DVD. Finally, one additional entrant will be chosen at random to receive the final copies of Cyborg Solider on DVD and Kill Switch on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Tight Competition Likely to Squeeze out Most Films

October 3rd, 2008

If you thought last weekend was too busy, this weekend is worse with eight films opening or expanding wide, or at least wide-ish. However, only one film is opening at saturation level (3,000 or more theaters) and one other is opening truly wide (2,000 or more theaters). After those two films, the rest of the new releases will be forced to fight over the table scraps. More...

2008 Preview: October

October 1st, 2008

September ends, and for that we are all very grateful. However, while we are entering the final push for 2008 at the box office, things don't look too rosy for the upcoming month. First of all, there are way too many films opening, including eight that are opening or expanding on the first weekend. Of those two, maybe three will thrive. Most will sink without being noticed, which could negatively affect the overall box office going forward. On the other hand, there are a few films opening this month that could be players come Awards Season, which is just around the corner. Perhaps this will help a few mid-level hits rise above the crowd. More...

Cast Updates - August 23, 2008

August 23rd, 2008

This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Extract, Gnomeo and Juliet, My Life in Ruins, and more! More...

New Movie US Release Dates - April 20, 2008

April 20th, 2008

This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for The Soloist, The Uninvited, Avatar: The Last Airbender and more! More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 3, 2008 19 $1,430,294   1,750 $817   $1,430,294 1
Oct 10, 2008 26 $440,066 -69% 1,673 $263   $2,458,092 2
Oct 17, 2008 55 $35,948 -92% 122 $295   $2,725,950 3
Oct 24, 2008 83 $7,400 -79% 18 $411   $2,749,503 4
Oct 31, 2008 112 $1,935 -74% 5 $387   $2,755,611 5
Nov 7, 2008 121 $926 -52% 2 $463   $2,757,713 6
Nov 14, 2008 110 $1,086 +17% 5 $217   $2,759,150 7
Nov 21, 2008 106 $772 -29% 4 $193   $2,760,453 8
Nov 28, 2008 72 $5,479 +610% 29 $189   $2,768,010 9
Dec 5, 2008 77 $4,740 -13% 26 $182   $2,775,593 10

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Oct 3, 2008 16 $471,330   1,750 $269   $471,330 1
Oct 4, 2008 - $591,503 +25% 1,750 $338   $1,062,833 2
Oct 5, 2008 - $367,461 -38% 1,750 $210   $1,430,294 3
Oct 6, 2008 16 $139,943 -62% 1,750 $80   $1,570,237 4
Oct 7, 2008 16 $149,402 +7% 1,750 $85   $1,719,639 5
Oct 8, 2008 16 $147,137 -2% 1,750 $84   $1,866,776 6
Oct 9, 2008 16 $151,250 +3% 1,750 $86   $2,018,026 7

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 3, 2008 17 $2,018,026   1,750 $1,153   $2,018,026 1
Oct 10, 2008 24 $671,976 -67% 1,673 $402   $2,690,002 2
Oct 17, 2008 53 $52,101 -92% 122 $427   $2,742,103 3
Oct 24, 2008 81 $11,573 -78% 18 $643   $2,753,676 4
Oct 31, 2008 109 $3,111 -73% 5 $622   $2,756,787 5
Nov 7, 2008 117 $1,277 -59% 2 $639   $2,758,064 6
Nov 14, 2008 105 $1,617 +27% 5 $323   $2,759,681 7
Nov 21, 2008 93 $2,850 +76% 4 $713   $2,762,531 8
Nov 28, 2008 71 $8,322 +192% 29 $287   $2,770,853 9
Dec 5, 2008 86 $4,740 -43% 26 $182   $2,775,593 10

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.