True. The gritty and realistic documentary-like thriller did come out the same month as the mega sci-fi hit.
So what?
The film should have done better, much better. The $21 million budget (more than what Star Wars cost!) would make Sorcerer a likely money loser. $50 million or so would be needed to break even. Earning $25 would lead to a loss. The losses obviously would be less than the case with $5 million in U.S. theaters, which the picture earned.
The failure is stunning considering Sorcerer was directed by William Friedkin, riding high with The French Connection and The Exorcist. Star Roy Scheider was coming off the success of JAWS.
Marketing -- poor marketing -- probably was the culprit that did Sorcerer in. The film received mediocre reviews, which definitely didn't help. Better marketing connecting the film to Friedkin and Scheider's other successes probably would have lent a box office assist.
The trouble with marketing Sorcerer is you need to stress that the movie is not about magic and fantasy. Yeah, the genre-jumbled title really worked against this 1970s classic.
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