Lawrence’s ‘Runteldat’ a Box-Office Surprise

While most eyes this past weekend were on the $60-million opening for M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs,” some in the industry noticed a smaller film that got off to a surprisingly big start. The concert film “Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat” took in an impressive $7.4 million in only 752 theaters over the weekend, finishing No. 4 at the box office, ahead of such heavyweights as “Road to Perdition,” “Stuart Little 2” and “Men in Black II.”

The film brought in $9,806 per theater, coming in second only to “Signs” in per-theater average. The Lawrence film follows on the breakout success of the comedy concert film “The Original Kings of Comedy,” released in August 2000, that also featured African American comedians and took in nearly $40 million.

That film reminded Hollywood executives that certain popular stand-up comedians can bring in box-office gold. Richard Pryor’s electrifying concert films in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s were both critical and commercial hits; Eddie Murphy’s 1986 concert film “Raw” grossed $50 million.

Lawrence--whose other concert film, “You So Crazy” (1994), performed modestly--saw an opportunity in following “Kings,” studio executives said.

“Martin approached us,” said David Gale, senior vice president for MTV Films, which co-produced the film with Lawrence’s company. “He saw the ‘Kings of Comedy’ success.... I think that [live stand-up show] surprised people in how it could translate into a viable theatrical movie.”

That film also helped boost the careers of its comic stand-up stars Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer and Steve Harvey--many of whom were known mainly in the African American community before the film. Gale said he has since received scores of pitches from wanna-be comedians wanting to follow in the footsteps of “Kings,” including the “Latin Kings of Comedy,” “The Gay Kings of Comedy” and “The White-Trash Kings of Comedy.” Only the Latin Kings have been filmed but it likely will be released on television, not in theaters.

“Runteldat’s” success is a welcome sign for Lawrence, a sometimes troubled performer who has experienced several high-profile problems, including brushes with the law. But rather than avoiding his past, the comedian and the studio used the negative publicity as part of the teaser campaign.

“The thing the audience has loved about this movie is that they learn more about Martin Lawrence--kind of how Richard Pryor shared a bit of Richard in his stand-up,” said Rob Friedman, CEO and vice chairman of the motion picture group at Paramount, which distributed “Runteldat.”

The movie, which is rated R, cost only $3 million to make and more than $10 million to market--and is likely to make the studio a hefty profit. Having learned from “The Original Kings of Comedy,” the studio’s advertising focused not only on African Americans but also a broader audience.

The key to success seems to be MTV, which co-produced the film and heavily promoted it on its late-night television programs for the 18-and-over crowd. The network made special spots adding clips from the live show but also featuring interviews with Lawrence.