The Watermelon Woman (1997)
| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $42,735 | Details |
| International Box Office | $17,801 | Details |
| Worldwide Box Office | $60,536 | |
| OpusData ID: 273880100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Synopsis
Cheryl is a twenty-something black lesbian working as a clerk in a video store while struggling to make a documentary about Fae Richards, an obscure black actress from the 1930’s. Cheryl is surprised to discover that Richards (known popularly as “the Watermelon Woman”) had a white lesbian lover. At the same time, Cheryl falls in love with a very cute white customer at the video store.
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $8,936 (20.9% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 4.78 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 70.6% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $300,000 (worldwide box office is 0.2 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 1 opening theaters/54 max. theaters, 2.4 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $102,989 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | March 5th, 1997 (Limited) by First Run Features November 10th, 2016 (Limited) by First Run Features |
| International Releases: | June 25th, 2026 (Limited) (Netherlands) |
| Video Release: | May 9th, 2000 by First Run Home |
| MPA Rating: | Not Rated |
| Running Time: | 85 minutes |
| Cast, crew, or production detail: | Directing Yourself, Screenplay Written By the Star |
| Plot point: | African Americans, Documentarian, Interracial Romance, LGBTQ+, Romance |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Dancing Girl, The Effects House |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 1997 | 61 | $8,936 | 1 | $8,936 | $11,131 | 1 | |
| Mar 14, 1997 | 61 | $8,804 | -1% | 12 | $734 | $23,498 | 2 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | 62 | $7,133 | 26 | $274 | $33,772 | 4 | |
| Apr 4, 1997 | 62 | $450 | -94% | 33 | $14 | $38,685 | 5 |
| Apr 25, 1997 | 63 | $1,819 | 54 | $34 | $40,746 | 8 | |
| Nov 11, 2016 | 96 | $774 | 1 | $774 | $42,210 | 1,028 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 1997 | 0 | $12,499 | 1 | $12,499 | $14,694 | 2 | |
| Mar 28, 1997 | 55 | $11,596 | 26 | $446 | $38,235 | 5 | |
| Nov 4, 2016 | 111 | $690 | 1 | $690 | $41,436 | 1,028 | |
| Nov 11, 2016 | 108 | $1,299 | +88% | 1 | $1,299 | $42,735 | 1,029 |
Top International Territories
Box Office Summary Per Territory
| Territory | Release Date |
Opening Weekend |
Opening Weekend Screens/Theaters |
Maximum Screens/Theaters |
Theatrical Engagements |
Total Box Office |
Report Date |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 6/25/2026 | $16,979 | 36 | 36 | 36 | $17,801 | 6/29/2026 | |||
| International Total | $17,801 | 6/29/2026 | ||||||||
Note: Territories vary in whether they report screens or theaters. Full details on international box office data are available via our OpusData service.
Leading
| Cheryl Dunye | Cheryl | |
| Guinevere Turner | Diana |
Supporting
| Valarie Walker | Tamara | |
| Cheryl Clarke | Shirley | |
| Sarah Schulman | CLIT Archivist |
Cameo
| Camille Paglia | Herself |
Supporting
| Brian Freeman | Lee | |
| Irene Dunye | Mrs. Dunye | |
| Lisa Marie Bronson | Fae Richards / The Watermelon Woman | |
| V.S. Brodie | Karaoke Singer |
Production and Technical Credits
| Cheryl Dunye | Director | |
| Cheryl Dunye | Screenwriter | |
| Doug McKeown | Screenwriter | |
| Alexandra Juhasz | Producer | |
| Barry Swimar | Producer | |
| Zoe Leonard | Producer | |
| Michael Light | Executive Producer | |
| Robert Holtzman | Production Designer | |
| Cheryl Dunye | Editor | |
| Paul Shapiro | Composer | |
| Michelle Crenshaw | Cinematographer |
Cast and crew with above-the-line roles are marked in bold. The line marks the division between above-the-line and below-the-line roles.
Synopsis
Cheryl is a twenty-something black lesbian working as a clerk in a video store while struggling to make a documentary about Fae Richards, an obscure black actress from the 1930’s. Cheryl is surprised to discover that Richards (known popularly as “the Watermelon Woman”) had a white lesbian lover. At the same time, Cheryl falls in love with a very cute white customer at the video store.
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $8,936 (20.9% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 4.78 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 70.6% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $300,000 (worldwide box office is 0.2 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 1 opening theaters/54 max. theaters, 2.4 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $102,989 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | March 5th, 1997 (Limited) by First Run Features November 10th, 2016 (Limited) by First Run Features |
| International Releases: | June 25th, 2026 (Limited) (Netherlands) |
| Video Release: | May 9th, 2000 by First Run Home |
| MPA Rating: | Not Rated |
| Running Time: | 85 minutes |
| Cast, crew, or production detail: | Directing Yourself, Screenplay Written By the Star |
| Plot point: | African Americans, Documentarian, Interracial Romance, LGBTQ+, Romance |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Dancing Girl, The Effects House |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 1997 | 61 | $8,936 | 1 | $8,936 | $11,131 | 1 | |
| Mar 14, 1997 | 61 | $8,804 | -1% | 12 | $734 | $23,498 | 2 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | 62 | $7,133 | 26 | $274 | $33,772 | 4 | |
| Apr 4, 1997 | 62 | $450 | -94% | 33 | $14 | $38,685 | 5 |
| Apr 25, 1997 | 63 | $1,819 | 54 | $34 | $40,746 | 8 | |
| Nov 11, 2016 | 96 | $774 | 1 | $774 | $42,210 | 1,028 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 1997 | 0 | $12,499 | 1 | $12,499 | $14,694 | 2 | |
| Mar 28, 1997 | 55 | $11,596 | 26 | $446 | $38,235 | 5 | |
| Nov 4, 2016 | 111 | $690 | 1 | $690 | $41,436 | 1,028 | |
| Nov 11, 2016 | 108 | $1,299 | +88% | 1 | $1,299 | $42,735 | 1,029 |
Top International Territories
Box Office Summary Per Territory
| Territory | Release Date |
Opening Weekend |
Opening Weekend Screens/Theaters |
Maximum Screens/Theaters |
Theatrical Engagements |
Total Box Office |
Report Date |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 6/25/2026 | $16,979 | 36 | 36 | 36 | $17,801 | 6/29/2026 | |||
| International Total | $17,801 | 6/29/2026 | ||||||||
Note: Territories vary in whether they report screens or theaters. Full details on international box office data are available via our OpusData service.
Leading
| Cheryl Dunye | Cheryl | |
| Guinevere Turner | Diana |
Supporting
| Valarie Walker | Tamara | |
| Cheryl Clarke | Shirley | |
| Sarah Schulman | CLIT Archivist |
Cameo
| Camille Paglia | Herself |
Supporting
| Brian Freeman | Lee | |
| Irene Dunye | Mrs. Dunye | |
| Lisa Marie Bronson | Fae Richards / The Watermelon Woman | |
| V.S. Brodie | Karaoke Singer |
Production and Technical Credits
| Cheryl Dunye | Director | |
| Cheryl Dunye | Screenwriter | |
| Doug McKeown | Screenwriter | |
| Alexandra Juhasz | Producer | |
| Barry Swimar | Producer | |
| Zoe Leonard | Producer | |
| Michael Light | Executive Producer | |
| Robert Holtzman | Production Designer | |
| Cheryl Dunye | Editor | |
| Paul Shapiro | Composer | |
| Michelle Crenshaw | Cinematographer |
Cast and crew with above-the-line roles are marked in bold. The line marks the division between above-the-line and below-the-line roles.