Phoenix, Oregon is a 2019 American comedy-drama film directed by Gary Lundgren. The film led the United States box office for three non-consecutive weeks in 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when nearly all movie theaters in the country were closed.
Plot A failing comic book artist and a chef working in a dead-end restaurant quit their jobs to restore a bowling alley and pizza parlor.
Production The film was shot in Klamath Falls, Oregon.Klamath Falls film “Phoenix, Oregon” through fluke timing becomes tops in domestic box office. Herald and News, April 3, 2020.
Release The film debuted at the Ashland (Oregon) Film Festival in April 2019, and received a digital release in March 2020. Box Office Mojo reported it as the number-one box office film the weeks of March 20–26, April 3–9, and April 10–16, 2020,Domestic box office weeklies for 2020. Box Office Mojo. Accessed December 6, 2024. during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when virtually all movie theaters in the country were in a mandatory shutdown. This was due to an online streaming access campaign led by the distributing studio; a limited release had been planned on March 20, 2020, and Joma Films instead made the film available to stream at the price of $6.50, which received enough reported revenue to top the box office. Portions of the proceeds from the film's streaming release were directed towards the support of local movie theaters that had been slated to screen the film.An Independent Film Shot in Southern Oregon Is the No. 1 Movie in the Country. Willamette Week, April 7, 2020. The film was made available on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 24, 2020.San Antonio actor Jesse Borrego talks about ‘Phoenix, Oregon,’ an unlikely No. 1 movie in an unusual time. San Antonio Express-News, June 24, 2020.
Reception The film received mixed reviews from critics.Review, Hollywood ReporterReview, VarietyReview, Los Angeles TimesReview, New York TimesReview, RogerEbert.com
Cast James Le Gros – Bobby Jesse Borrego – Carlos Lisa Edelstein – Tanya Dietrich Bader – Kyle Kevin Corrigan – Al
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