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What Went Wrong With 'Rock School'?

June 16, 2005

"Rock School", the documentary about the real-life "School of Rock", closed after just one weekend on a handful of screens. "Rock School" is about the Paul Green School of Rock in Philadelphia, where students high school-aged and younger learn to play rock music in a structured setting. ALICE COOPER makes a cameo appearance, performing his hit "School's Out" with some of the students as the end credits roll. Los Angeles-based writer Steve Rosen has posted the following message on his IndieWIRE.comblog:

"What went wrong with 'Rock School'?

"Despite a high-profile marketing/advertising campaign by the new Picturehouse, which made the film its first release, the critically praised documentary was dead on arrival in theaters after an early June release. It was thought to be highly commercial.

"The movie originally was acquired by Picturehouse's predecessor, Newmarket Films, after its premiere at the 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival. It was well-received on the film-festival circuit.

"But it had a disastrous per-screen gross in 32 theaters on its first (June 2) weekend. After being unexpectedly pulled from 15 of its 32 screens the next weekend, it did just as poorly. Major expansion looks doubtful now.

"Why? Some people say initial audiences found its subject — Paul Green — so abrasive toward his students as to be unbearable.

"In this story, which appeared in Los Angeles CityBeat on May 26, shortly before the film was released in that city, producer Sheena Joyce and producer/director Don Argott talked about Green's personality and teaching methods."

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