Distribution The film was produced by Assassin Films with the majority of the finance coming from FilmFour whose distribution arm was responsible for getting the film into the cinemas. Distributors deal with the prints and advertising, they manage the distribution of the prints to cinemas and create the marketing campaign.

For most commercial films the first three days are the most important for box office success. The promotion of films usually focuses on the opening with the hope that the positive word of mouth will create popularity for the film. Commercial films usually open widely in Britain which would be in over 400 screens, to take advantage of the opening week’s hype.

Because of its apparent lack of commercial potential, it received only a platform release. It opened after previews on Friday 5 November 1999 on 79 screens. The film went wide in week three on 246 screens. Weektotal grossscreens One £ 435,00979 Two £ 1,207,35780 Three £ 2,514, Four £ 3,933, Five £ 4,967,747280

This staggered opening allows time for the realisation that an apparently non-commercial film is actually worth seeing. The distributors, confident of good reviews and word of mouth, can keep some of their promotional budget back to boost the roll-out over a number of weeks