By McRae Walker, Staff Writer
The Peanut Butter Falcon,” since its release in theaters Aug. 9, has brought in nearly $20 million at the box office and been nominated in six different film festivals, including South by Southwest, Nantucket, Heartland, Hamburg, Deauville and Crested Butte.
There’s even buzz that “The Peanut Butter Falcon” could get some attention in awards season when nominations for Oscars are announced in January.
Yet, despite these accomplishments, director and writer Tyler Nilson has tried to keep his expectations low.
“I try not to have expectations because those expectations often lead to disappointment,” Nilson said.
Nilson and co-writer and co-director Michael Schwartz continue to work on making the movie more financially successful. The creators hope to release the movie on Blu-Ray and DVD and also hope to have the movie on various streaming platforms.
Nilson, who grew up in Colington and graduated from Manteo High School, believes streaming has become a necessary move for distribution due to its widespread popularity. This distribution would further the directors’ goal of displaying the talents of Zack Gottsagen – the actor with Down syndrome who stole the show despite working alongside Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson.
Nilson couldn’t name a singular reason as to what caused the film’s success, but he discussed how the writing, soundtrack, Americana nostalgia and Gottsagen all played into it.
“I think a character like Zack right now is really somebody that everyone can cheer for,” Nilson said. “In a time where we can’t agree on a lot, it feels kind of nice that we can all agree on that.”
Nilson noted that the people who worked on the film were all happy with the product they helped create, and even without money, telling a story is a currency in and of itself.
“Hope for everything, expect nothing,” Nilson said. “If tomorrow we didn’t make one more dollar, we’d be OK and I’d move on.”
Because of the film’s success, Nilson and Schwartz now have what Nilson described as a “commodity” when it comes to pursuing new projects.
“It was the first time that we’d not only just work again, but work again for a bigger price,” Nilson said.
The pair does plan to work together again, including writing for a new TV show, and the success of their current film doesn’t mean their work has stopped with “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”
In fact, it was while Skyping with fans at one of the various film festivals they attended that the two grown men appeared on screen dancing their appreciation for the audience.
“Yeah, I didn’t know that was for like 6,000 people in the theater,” Nilson said. “So I’m in my pajamas and I’m dancing and I thought it would be seen by just 20 people.”
Junior McCrae Walker can be reached at 21walkermc@daretolearn.org.
