The documentary “Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Round the World” — the heartrending tale of young leukemia patient Miles Scott — debuted in four theaters across the country this weekend and took in around $23,000 at the box office.
That’s a pretty good $5,750 per-screen average, but big returns on this film were never the goal for New Lne and Warner Bros., which rolled it out in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles
“We feel great about this movie,” the studio’s domestic distribution executive vice-president Jeff Goldstein told TheWrap Sunday. “It touched our hearts in a deep way, and we felt that since it was related to a Batman story, we had to own it. This was always a labor of love for us.”
The movie is about Scott who, at the age of five in 2013, was able to have his dream of being the superhero for a day realized, thanks to the city of San Francisco and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Thanks to social media, the story resonated around the world. Even President Obama sent a congratulatory message, as Miles fought some bad guys brought around for the occasion and saved “Gotham.”
The studio picked up rights to the film directed by Dana Nachman at Slamdance for a modest price. Goldstein said “Batkid” would continue its limited run throughout the country throughout the summer.
In one scene from the film, his father explains why Miles, whose cancer is now in remission, so strongly identified with Batman.
“One of his doctors told us that with this disease, they just become, like, a fighter,” the elder Scott said. “They fight for life. I think he sees the good vs. evil battle in superheroes.”
“Batkid Begins” had its world premiere Wednesday in San Francisco and has struck a chord with critics. It’s a strong 78 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes.
We may see more of this story. Julie Roberts is developing a feature film remake of the documentary, which she would produce and star in. Nachman will serve as executive producer along with Josh and Dan Braun of Submarine under production company’s new remake label Sub/Version.