November 18 2002

ARTICLE TOOLS

Find similar articles E-mail this page

Jonah, the first feature film from Big Idea Productions, earned $16 million in its first three weekends. While placing sixth in box-office earnings, Jonah earned the October 4 weekend's second-highest per-screen total among feature films opening that same weekend.

Jonah opened on 940 screens. The healthy box-office receipts encouraged more theaters to screen the film. Terry Botwick, chief operating officer for Big Idea, said in an interview earlier this year that the film had to make $20 million in order to break even. An entertainment industry source told CT that the movie could make $20-30 million domestically. International receipts could add millions more.

The box-office success came too late for the more than 30 employees Big Idea laid off just one week before the movie's release. In addition, reliable sources report pay cuts between 15 and 20 percent for remaining employees. Big Idea would not confirm the pay cuts. The privately held firm asked departing workers to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

According to former employees who asked that their names not be used, this was the third time layoffs have occurred at Big Idea. Based in the Chicago suburb of Lombard, the company employs fewer than 200 people. It is the creator of VeggieTales, a children's video series that promotes biblical values.

In a prepared statement, Big Idea founder Phil Vischer called the recent layoffs a "correct sizing" of the company's staff and a response to a weaker retail market. He said that Big Idea has a full 2003 video release schedule and is in pre-production on The Bob and Larry Movie. "We were unable to carry a fully staffed production crew from one film to the next. This was a heartbreaking reality."

When asked last spring about ...