Philip Spink’s family fantasy Once in a Blue Moon had its Toronto theatrical release Friday, June 21, pulling in a disappointing $240 over the three-day weekend.

‘We supported the picture but Canadian producers have to start asking themselves, `Do the people want to see these movies?’ ‘ says Malofilm Distribution vp Peter Wertelecky.

Wertelecky says there’s no money for test marketing in Canada and the industry should start to pay attention to the way the majors market their product. He says the public is generally not prepared to spend $8 on a small Canadian film.

‘There is no (theatrical) business anywhere for this film, unfortunately,’ he says, adding the film should do well on tv.

Produced by Vancouver’s Ark Films, Once in a Blue Moon is an adventure story of two young lads who plan a trip to the moon.

The film garnered about $300 in Vancouver in mid-March despite Malofilm’s $20,000 tv buy. Two weeks later, a $5,000 investment in newspaper ads in Ottawa resulted in a box office in the $175 range. A mid-June launch in Halifax and Moncton produced similar numbers.