Aviva Kempner knew she could get people to see this film. Se believed in it deeply and she was right.
This comes directly from Indiewire’s weekend box office assessment:
…an under-the-radar doc hit $1 million after chugging along for nearly four months. Aviva Kempner’s “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg” – released by International Film Circuit – grossed $34,694 from 24 screens in its 17th weekend out, taking its total to $1,030,779. “Goldberg” looks at television pioneer Gertrude Berg. She was the creator, principal writer, and star of “The Goldbergs,” a popular radio show for 17 years, which became television’s very first character-driven domestic sitcom in 1949.
“After four months of traveling around with the film all over America I am thrilled that Berg is no longer ‘the most famous woman in America that you’ve never heard of’ thanks to InFC’s fine handling of the film”, Aviva Kempner said in a statement. “It also proves that docs that appeal to older audiences like The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg can be commercial successes. Never underestimate the interests of senior citizens, even though they pay less for a movie!!!”
The release used a mere 25 prints which moved across the country over the entire summer. The film received a vigorous grassroots outreach campaign and co-promotions with Jewish Film Festivals across the country to reach the target audience without breaking the bank.
“We took advantage of new technology networking without abandoning the tried and true methods that specialty film distributors have always used,” said International Film Circuit’s President Wendy Lidell in a statement.
Update: Kempner is also just the second woman to have two documentaries earn over $1 million. (The other one is Jehane Noujaim with Startup.com and Control Room.)
(disclaimer: I did a small amount of outreach work on this film this past summer.)
I saw it this past weekend while visiting family in Florida and loved it.
It’s opening near me (Boston area) in 2 weeks, and I’m definitely dragging my husband (and hopefully more extended family) while it’s playing up here.