The Watermelon Woman (1997)

The Watermelon Woman
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $42,735Details
OpusData ID: 273880100
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:100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$300,000 (worldwide box office is 0.1 times production budget)
Theater counts:1 opening theaters/54 max. theaters, 2.4 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $102,989

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 14,801-14,900) 14,898 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 30,601-30,700) 30,624 $42,735
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 6,101-6,200) 6,142 $42,735

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Movie Details

Domestic Releases: March 5th, 1997 (Limited) by First Run Features
November 10th, 2016 (Limited) by First Run Features
Video Release: May 9th, 2000 by First Run Home
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 85 minutes
Comparisons: Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: African Americans, LGBTQ+, Romance, Interracial Romance, Documentarian, Directing Yourself, Screenplay Written By the Star
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

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 14,801-14,900) 14,898 $42,735
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 13,201-13,300) 13,265 $102,989
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 13,801-13,900) 13,830 $42,735
Top-grossing movies at the domestic box office first released in 1997 (Rank 201-300) 274 $42,735
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 6,101-6,200) 6,142 $42,735
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office for Limited Release Movies (Rank 5,301-5,400) 5,355 $102,989
Top 1997 Limited Release Movies at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 101-200) 105 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 7,701-7,800) 7,768 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 13,201-13,300) 13,228 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 7,301-7,400) 7,322 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 4,301-4,400) 4,389 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Not Rated Movies (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,957 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for First Run Features Movies 51 $42,735

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
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

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
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

Leading Cast

Cheryl Dunye    Cheryl
Guinevere Turner    Diana

Supporting Cast

Valarie Walker    Tamara
Cheryl Clarke    Shirley
Sarah Schulman    CLIT Archivist
Brian Freeman    Lee
Irene Dunye    Mrs. Dunye
Lisa Marie Bronson    Fae Richards / The Watermelon Woman
V.S. Brodie    Karaoke Singer

Cameos

Camille Paglia    Herself

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

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

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January 31st, 2017

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Limited and VOD Releases: Release Dates are Bewitching

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The Love Witch

One of the more difficult aspects of this job is keeping track of release dates. For instance, we thought The Love Witch came out two weeks ago, but its release date changed at the last minute. The official site says it’s coming out this week, so if it gets changed again, it is not my fault. It arguably has the best reviews on this week’s list and it is the one I’m most interested in seeing. That said, it is too out there to expect it to find mainstream success. More...


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

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:100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$300,000 (worldwide box office is 0.1 times production budget)
Theater counts:1 opening theaters/54 max. theaters, 2.4 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $102,989

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 14,801-14,900) 14,898 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 30,601-30,700) 30,624 $42,735
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 6,101-6,200) 6,142 $42,735

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Movie Details

Domestic Releases: March 5th, 1997 (Limited) by First Run Features
November 10th, 2016 (Limited) by First Run Features
Video Release: May 9th, 2000 by First Run Home
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 85 minutes
Comparisons: Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: African Americans, LGBTQ+, Romance, Interracial Romance, Documentarian, Directing Yourself, Screenplay Written By the Star
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

Leading Cast

Cheryl Dunye    Cheryl
Guinevere Turner    Diana

Supporting Cast

Valarie Walker    Tamara
Cheryl Clarke    Shirley
Sarah Schulman    CLIT Archivist
Brian Freeman    Lee
Irene Dunye    Mrs. Dunye
Lisa Marie Bronson    Fae Richards / The Watermelon Woman
V.S. Brodie    Karaoke Singer

Cameos

Camille Paglia    Herself

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

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

Home Market Releases for January 31st, 2017

January 31st, 2017

Queen of Katwe

It’s a slow week at the top, as there are no new releases that were hits in theaters. That doesn’t mean we have no contenders for Pick of the Week, just that they are smaller films or ones that struggled in theaters. Queen of Katwe is the best of this list and the Blu-ray is the Pick of the Week. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Release Dates are Bewitching

November 11th, 2016

The Love Witch

One of the more difficult aspects of this job is keeping track of release dates. For instance, we thought The Love Witch came out two weeks ago, but its release date changed at the last minute. The official site says it’s coming out this week, so if it gets changed again, it is not my fault. It arguably has the best reviews on this week’s list and it is the one I’m most interested in seeing. That said, it is too out there to expect it to find mainstream success. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 14,801-14,900) 14,898 $42,735
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 13,201-13,300) 13,265 $102,989
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 13,801-13,900) 13,830 $42,735
Top-grossing movies at the domestic box office first released in 1997 (Rank 201-300) 274 $42,735
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 6,101-6,200) 6,142 $42,735
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office for Limited Release Movies (Rank 5,301-5,400) 5,355 $102,989
Top 1997 Limited Release Movies at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 101-200) 105 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 7,701-7,800) 7,768 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 13,201-13,300) 13,228 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 7,301-7,400) 7,322 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 4,301-4,400) 4,389 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for Not Rated Movies (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,957 $42,735
All Time Domestic Box Office for First Run Features Movies 51 $42,735

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
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

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
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

Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 30,601-30,700) 30,624 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 28,801-28,900) 28,817 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 17,601-17,700) 17,647 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 26,301-26,400) 26,336 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 15,801-15,900) 15,834 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Drama Movies (Rank 8,801-8,900) 8,899 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Not Rated Movies (Rank 3,901-4,000) 3,934 $42,735
All Time Worldwide Box Office for First Run Features Movies 58 $42,735