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Specialty Box Office: ‘Pines’ Best Average

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday March 31, 2013 @ 4:08pm PDTTags: Specialty Box Office

Indie FilmsOn the Specialty box office front, this Easter Weekend showed strong debuts for Focus Features’ The Place Beyond The Pines and IFC Films’ documentary Room 237 while Renoir painted a passable opening leaving silent feature Blancanieves and Wrong to start with less gusto. Pines director Derek Cianfrance  showed with his film’s star Ryan Gosling up at a Film Society Of Lincoln Center party for New Directors. (The same duo caught Oscar chatter back in 2010 with Blue Valentine after its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.) Pines opened in a pair of runs in both New York and Los Angeles with a winning $67,564 average. Noted Jack Foley, Focus Features president of distribution: “It’s a testament to the appeal of this incredible cast, and also to Derek Cianfrance’s vision as a great storyteller, that audiences came out to see Pines this weekend. It’s epic, powerful and just great entertainment. Smart audiences want great movie options all year and you saw that with this weekend’s terrific numbers.”

IFC Films’ documentary centered on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining also made an impressive showing over the weekend. That’s good news for the distributor, which saw the exit of its long time SVP of Marketing and Publicity Ryan Werner who is one of the most important backers of international and indie cinema in America. The film Room 238 averaged $18K in two NYC theaters. Noted Werner: It’s an amazing film that says so much about the way we watch movies today. I don’t think you have to see any of Kubrick’s films to watch the film. However, you will want to see them all especially The Shining afterwards.” Beyond theatrical, Room 237 was #1 on the Independent and Horror charts all weekend on iTunes where it’s available outside theaters. The company, however, is still having a rough trip with On The Road. It had a qualifying run in December and was re-released last week. The film from one of the 20th Century’s most pivotal American novels only averaged $1,600. Last week the film rolled out in 42 theaters averaging $2,500.

IFC’s Sundance Selects label last week opened Gimme The Loot picked up at last year’s SXSW Film Festival. It took in $23,400 at its IFC Center then and in its second weekend played in 4 locations averaging $3,700. The Weinstein Company’s The Sapphires also had a small expansion for its second weekend and moved into a dozen theaters averaging just over $6K. In its debut, the film set in Australia and Vietnam averaged $10,232 in 4 runs. Here are the Specialty Box Office numbers:

NEW
Blancanieves (Cohen Media Group) [4 Theaters] Wkd $25,102, Aver $6,276
The Place Beyond The Pines (Focus) [4 Theaters] Wkd $270,184, Aver $67,564
Renoir (Samuel Goldwyn Films) [6 Theaters] Wkd $63,663, Aver $10,610
Room 237 (IFC Films) NEW [2 Theaters] Wkd $36K, Aver $18K
Wrong (Drafthouse Films) [16 Theaters] Wkd $17,964, Aver $1,122

Returning / 2nd Weekend
Gimme The Loot (Sundance Selects) Week 2 [4 Theater] Wkd $14,800, Aver $3,700, Cume $44,070
On The Road (IFC) Week 2 [75 Theaters] Wkd $120K, Aver $1,600, Cume $260K (Post-qualifying run)
The Sapphires (Weinstein) Week 2 [12 Theaters] Wkd $72,379, Aver $6,032, Cume $126,968

Holdovers / 3RD+ Weekends
From Up On Poppy Hill (GKIDS) Week 3 [24 Theaters] Wkd $121,098, Aver $5,046, Cume $285,793
Reality (Oscilloscope) Week 3 [4 Theater] Wkd $12,400, Aver $4,100, Cume $33,826
Spring Breakers (A24) Week 3 [1,379 Theaters] Wkd $2,758,000, Aver $2K, Cume $10,100,289
Upside Down (Millennium) Week 3 [19 Theaters] Wkd $9,146, Aver $481, Cume $92,196
Somebody Up There Likes Me (Tribeca) Week 4 [2 Theaters] Wkd $17,565, Aver $5,855, Cume $77,095
Stoker (Fox Searchlight) Week 5 [194 Theaters] Wkd $178K, Aver $918, Cume $1,478,336
NO (Sony Classics) Week 7 [70 Theaters] Wkd $246,234, Aver $3,518, Cume $1,324,984
The Gatekeepers (Sony Classics) Week 9 [105 Theaters] Wkd $211,834, Aver $2,017, Cume $1,879,846
Quartet (The Weinstein Company) Week 12 [302 Theaters] Wkd $368K, Aver $1,219, Cume $16,585,393
The Impossible (Summit/Lionsgate) Week 15 [86 Theaters] Wkd $42K, Aver $488, Cume $18,815,451

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‘The Queen Of Versailles’, ‘Hara-Kiri’, ‘Well Digger’s Daughter’, ’30 Beats’, ‘Shut Up And Play The Hits’ Debut: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday July 22, 2012 @ 2:30pm PDTTags: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Specialty Box Office, The Queen Of Versailles

Specialty Preview: ‘Queen Of Versailles,’ ‘Well-Digger’s Daughter’

Magnolia Pictures’ Sundance doc from lauren Greenfield, The Queen Of Versailles, opened by cashing in among the specialties, grossing $54K with a regal $18K average in 3 theaters over the weekend. has picked up a good amount of attention from morning TV and other shows. The documentary’s subjects — a mega-wealthy couple called “1-percenters” who live a life of reckless luxury but then face a day of reckoning — appear to be the film’s best marketers, perhaps inadvertently. It will expand into San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, San Diego, Atlanta, and Philadelphia next Friday, and then widen into another 10 to 15 markets on August 3rd. By the way, there’s an ongoing lawsuit over the film. Another opener, Tribeca Films’ Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai, was in a pair of locations and averaged $6,138. The company called it a “very solid” start for Takashi Miike’s release. At NYC’s IFC Center, the film grossed an estimated $10,272 for the weekend. Initially limited by opening on just a 60-seat screen, the film was quickly promoted to a larger 110-seat screen where it had multiple evening sell-outs. In LA’s Downtown Independent, it grossed $2,000 for the weekend, resulting in a overall per screen average of $6,138. Tribeca is set to bring the title to major markets including Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco over the next few weeks, with more dates to be added soon. Kino Lorber Films opened The Well Digger’s Daughter in two New York theaters and one in Seattle, averaging a milder $4,333. The distributor of Daniel Auteuil’s French-language update of Marcel Pagnol’s work was counter-programming Batman for older audiences and had a “solid debut”. Kino Lorber chief Richard Lorber caught wind of The Well-Digger’s Daughter after speaking with French sales outfit Pathé ahead of the American Film Market last year. Then Kino Lorber worked with French cultural institute Alliance Francaise to spread the word. It grossed $13,000 from New York’s Quad Cinema and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Theatre, as well as at Landmark’s Varsity in Seattle. It will quickly expand next Friday to LA, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia, with many more markets to follow in August and September. Shut Up And Play The Hits from Oscilloscope opened for a one-night-only release on limited showtimes on Wednesday, with select encore shows added on Thursday due to demand. “The film played to capacity in the top 20 markets with nearly every show selling out,” the company said. In all, it played on 161 theaters and made $378K with an average of $2,353. More showings are being added.

Fox Searchlight over the weekend expanded Sundance feature winner Beasts Of The Southern Wild (from its strong opening one month ago). Cohen Media Group’s Farewell My Queen reigned strongly in its second week. Indomina’s The Imposter remained in 1 theater in its second round, still grabbing audiences with a healthy average. Sundance Selects expanded its India-set feature Trishna into 15 additional locations. And The Weinstein Company’s Easy Money stayed in two theaters in its second weekend and only dropped -38% from its opening:

NEW

30 Beats (Roadside Attractions) NEW [15 Theaters] R
Weekend $8,665, Average $578

Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai 3-D (Tribeca Film) NEW [2 Theaters]
Weekend $12,275, Average $6,138

The Queen Of Versailles (Magnolia) NEW [3 Theaters] PG
Weekend $54K, Average $18K

The Well Digger’s Daughter (Kino Lorber Films) NEW [2 Theaters] NR
Weekend $13K, Average $4,333

Shut Up And Play The Hits (Oscilloscope) Week 1 – July 18/19 [161 Theaters]
Weekdays $378K, Average $2,353

Returning / 2nd Weekend

Farewell My Queen (Cohen Media Group) Week 2 [11 Theaters]
Weekend $96,910, Average $8,810, Cume $201K

2016 Obama’s America (Rocky Mountain Pictures) Week 2 [4 Theaters]
Weekend $33,020K, Average $8,255, Cume $80K

The Obama Effect (AMC) Week 2 [21 Theaters] PG13
Weekend $6K, Average $286, Cume $103K

Easy Money (The Weinstein Company) Week 2 [2 Theaters]
Weekend $15,256, Average $7,628, Cume $52K

The Imposter (Indomina) Week 2 [1 Theater]
Weekend $12,246K, Average $12,246, Cume $43K

Omerta (Alliance Vivafilm) Week 2 [82 Theaters]
Weekend $257K, Average $3,137, Cume $1.3M

Red Lights (Millennium Entertainment) Week 2 [2 Theaters]
Weekend $2,760, Average $1,380, Cume $17K

Trishna (Sundance Selects) Week 2 [16 Theaters]
Weekend $40K, Average $2,500, Cume $89K

Union Square (Dada Films) Week 2 [2 Theaters] Weekend $2,527, Average $1,263, Cume $26,890

Holdovers / 3rd And More Weekends

Runaway Slave (Rocky Mountain Pictures) Week 3 [1 Theater]
Weekend $751, Average $751, Cume $11K

Beasts Of The Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight) Week 4 [129 Theaters]
Weekend $762K , Average $5,905, Cume $2.9M
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Specialty Box Office: ‘The Queen Of Versailles,’ ‘The Well-Digger’s Daughter’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Friday July 20, 2012 @ 2:00am PDTTags: Specialty Box Office, The Queen Of Versailles

This weekend’s box office is clearly going to be all about The Dark Knight Rises, and perhaps that accounts for the minimal number of rollouts in the specialty space. But a pair of new titles are among … Read More »

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‘The Imposter’, ‘Easy Money’, ‘Trishna’ Lead Mixed Bag Of Debuts: Specialty B.O.

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday July 15, 2012 @ 10:25am PDTTags: Easy Money, Specialty Box Office, Trishna

A slew of new specialty rollouts hit theaters over the weekend with mixed results. Indomina’s Sundance documentary The Imposter came in as the per-theatre-average winner, with a single location in New York. The Bart Layton-directed film grossed $20,643. “It’s a great opening weekend,” Indomina’s Rob Williams said this morning. “Stellar reviews and great public turnout shows us the film is really connecting.” Indomina will take the title to additional markets on July 27th. The Weinstein Company opened Swedish production Easy Money in two locations, averaging just under $12K. “We feel we’re off to a good start with Easy Money,” said TWC’s Head of Distribution Erik Lomis. “We had a 75% jump from Friday to Saturday, which proves there is great word of mouth on the film so we’re optimistic for our prospects heading into the expansion.” Cohen Media Group’s Farewell My Queen opened nicely in several locations, averaging just over $18K per site. The film directed by Benoît Jacquot has grossed over $72K.

Related: ‘Ice Age 4′ Lukewarm Domestic $45.5M Weekend; Hotter $300M Global By Monday

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‘Ballplayer: Pelotero,’ ‘Easy Money,’ ‘The Imposter,’ ‘Red Lights,’ ‘Trishna’: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Friday July 13, 2012 @ 7:00am PDTTags: Easy Money, Red Lights, Specialty Box Office, Trishna

Three features and two docs are among this week’s new specialty releases hitting theaters against the summer tentpoles. Sundance doc The Imposter may prove somewhat controversial given the con-man who figures at the center of the story — and who proved to be the source of heavy anxiety in making the film. Ballplayer: Pelotero may move beyond hard-core baseball fans about two people pursuing the American dream. On the narrative side, Red Lights director Rodrigo Cortés tells Deadline about a rule he broke while writing the screenplay for the story he also directed. Easy Money distributor The Weinstein Company hopes to tap into the success of director Daniel Espinosa’s previous box office smash, and Sundance Selects’ Trishna heads into theaters after a hefty festival run for the Michael Winterbottom-directed feature.

Ballplayer: Pelotero
Directors: Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin, Jonathan Paley
Subjects: Jean Carlos Batista, Miguel Angel Sano, John Leguizamo (Narrator)
Distributor: Strand Releasing

Executive producers Andrew Muscato and Bobby Valentine set up Makuhari Media in 2010 to make sports documentaries and thought baseball would make a good start. The pair saw footage from what would become Ballplayer: Pelotero and decided to take on the project. “What drives me is that we want to tell stories set in the world of sports but have a general appeal to an audience,” Muscato told Deadline. “These people in Pelotero tell a story about people who want to fulfill their dreams.” The project also attracted veteran doc editor Mary Manhardt (Racing Dreams, The Canal Street Madam), which also was a boon to the project about two top baseball players from the Dominican Republic who face fierce competition and corruption as they chase their dreams. “She can take a niche subject and make it palatable to audiences,” noted Muscato. “Getting her made it a selling point for us to be part of the film.” Read More »

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‘Beasts’ Still Strong in 2nd Weekend; Newcomers Open Soft: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday July 8, 2012 @ 10:29am PDTTags: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Moonrise Kingdom, Specialty Box Office, To Rome With Love

A trio of holdovers grabbed the bulk of specialty business this weekend, with Fox Searchlight’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Sony Classics’ To Rome With Love and Focus’ Moonrise Kingdom leading the pack. Three films, China Heavyweight from Zeitgeist, Magnolia’s The Magic Of Belle Isle and Red Flag’s The Do-Deca-Pentathlon reported numbers for their new, very limited rollouts. Documentary Heavyweight opened in one theater, grossing $2,804, while Magnolia’s Belle Isle launched in several locations, with a modest per-theatre average of $2,750. Red Flag Releasing’s Duplass Bros-directed feature The Do-Deca-Pentathlon averaged a softer $1,250 in 8 locations.
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‘The Do-Deca-Pentathlon’, ‘China Heavyweight’, ‘Collaborator’, ‘Crazy Eyes’: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday July 5, 2012 @ 1:04pm PDTTags: Mark Duplass, Martin Donovan

Specialty Box Office Indie FilmJay and Mark Duplass have their roots firmly planted in the indie world going back to their 2005 debut The Puffy Chair at the Sundance Film Festival. The brothers have since taken on projects that include stars (and Mark Duplass has become quite the ubiquitous actor himself), but their latest film The Do-Deca-Pentathlon yearns back to their earlier work. Zeitgeist Films’ documentary China Heavyweight is the third by a filmmaking group that has been set in China, though it’s hoping it will be the first to be seen in the giant country. Martin Donovan wrote, directed and stars in his latest project Collaborator, which he tapped into Canadian funding to make, while Strand Releasing found Crazy Eyes ahead of its SXSW Film Festival debut, quickly nabbing the title they hope will appeal to the hipster crowd. Read More »

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‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ Ferocious; ‘To Rome With Love’ Strong: Specialty B.O.

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday July 1, 2012 @ 10:34am PDTTags: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Specialty Box Office, Take This Waltz, To Rome With Love

After a slew of festival accolades including prizes at Sundance and Cannes, Beasts Of The Southern Wild swarmed the box office. With no stars and a first-time feature filmmaker, the pic nevertheless resonated with specialty audiences in-the-know. In … Read More »

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Specialty Box Office: ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’, ‘Take This Waltz’, ‘Last Ride’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Friday June 29, 2012 @ 12:38pm PDTTags: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Specialty Box Office, Take This Waltz

A long time in the making, Beasts Of The Southern Wild made a splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, taking the top prize amid rumors it would head to Cannes. Sure enough, it did although not in the Official Selection. It won notice there as well, winning one of the festival’s top prizes and it’s hitting theaters this week. Australian feature The Last Ride traveled the festival circuit, but took some time before landing U.S. distribution, though it picked up a high-profile ally here. Take This Waltz is naturally getting attention courtesy of its star Michelle Williams and director Sarah Polley, while Venice-set Unforgivable is also hoping to ride the media wave to solid box office numbers this weekend.

Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Writers: Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly
Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Probably the most celebrated indie of the first half of 2012, Beasts Of The Southern Wild won the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and the Camera D’Or in Cannes last month. Not bad for a project with a director making his feature debut and a cast that sported non-pros across the board. The film did have some friends along the way. The San Francisco Film Society awarded the movie two grants that helped the filmmakers in withr post-production, according to producer Michael Gottwald. Grants organization Cinereach also got involved throughout the process. Read More »

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‘To Rome With Love’ Tops In Debut; ‘Moonrise’, ‘Marigold’ Strong: Specialty B.O.

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday June 24, 2012 @ 10:39am PDTTags: Kirby Dick, Kumaré, Moonrise Kingdom, Specialty Box Office, To Rome With Love, Woody Allen

European settings continues to be a treasure rove for Woody Allen. Though the opening weekend numbers are not quite as stratospheric as last year’s Midnight In Paris, the filmmaker’s latest To Rome With Love are nonetheless impressive. The Sony Pictures Classics release debuted in 5 theaters, grossing $379K on this side of the Atlantic, averaging just under $76K, Allen’s second-best in per-theater terms. Allen’s previous feature set in the City of Lights bowed in 6 theaters back in May of last year, averaging an astounding $99,834 and went on to gross slightly under $57M domestically. SPC’s Michael Barker said the distributor plans to roll out Allen’s latest more quickly than Paris, going “much wider” July 6th. “We think it will be great light entertainment for audiences here.” As he said just before the weekend, “It’s tonic for the summer studio films.”
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‘The Invisible War,’ ‘To Rome With Love,’ ‘Kumaré,’ ‘Stella Days’: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday June 21, 2012 @ 10:36pm PDTTags: Kirby Dick, Kumaré, Martin Sheen, Penelope Cruz, Woody Allen

Two U.S. documentaries and two European-set narratives are among this weekend’s roster of new specialty offerings. Of the latter, there’s Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love, for which Sony Pictures Classics anticipates a warm reception following the success of Allen’s last movie, Midnight In Paris. His latest turns to the eternal city with an all-star cast. Veteran documentarian Kirby Dick’s The Invisible War debuts following festival screenings at Sundance and Provincetown. The other doc, Kumaré, which opened Wednesday, has been compared to Catfish (2010) in terms of controversy. Tribeca Film is rolling out in limited release the other narrative feature Stella Days starring Martin Sheen. Read More »

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‘Your Sister’s Sister’ OK In Debut, ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ Fierce In Week 4: Specialty B.O.

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday June 17, 2012 @ 10:21am PDTTags: HBO, IFC Films, Marina Abramovic, Your Sister's Sister

IFC Films’ Your Sister’s Sister trumped the weekend’s openers in a generally quiet weekend in the specialty box office. The Lynn Shelton-directed feature debuted in 13 theaters, grossing $117K for a respectable $9K average. An IFC Films spokesperson said, “It was a solid opening weekend for the film as we will open the top 30 markets this coming weekend.” Sundance doc Marina Abramovic The Artist Is Present bowed in two theaters, grossing just under $11K for a middling $5,495 average. HBO Films came on board for the project after seeing its installation at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Music Box Films is handling theatrical. Fellow Sundance doc Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap directed by Ice-T bowed in 157 theaters, grossing $150K for a paltry $955 average.
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‘Marina Abramovic,’ ‘Your Sister’s Sister,’ ‘Patang,’ ‘The Art of Rap,’ ‘The Girl From The Naked Eye’: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday June 14, 2012 @ 3:49pm PDTTags: Lynn Shelton, Marina Abramovic, Sheila Nevins, Specialty Box Office, Your Sister's Sister

Movies Opening This WeekHBO came on board with Sundance 2012 documentary Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present after seeing the Serbian performance artist at MoMA. The company’s maverick non-fiction guru Sheila Nevins gave the lowdown on the premium channel’s association with the documentary, which had already begun shooting before HBO joined the project. Your Sister’s Sister came together with a name cast reminiscent of its director’s previous titles and Patang purposely shot in a documentary style going against convention in India where it takes place. Also opening this weekend is Sundance doc The Art of Rap by rapper Ice-T and The Girl From The Naked Eye, which rolls out in ten markets.

Related: ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ Lands Solid And ‘Dark Horse’ Rides
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‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ Lands Solid And ‘Dark Horse’ Rides: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday June 10, 2012 @ 10:43am PDTTags: Bel Ami, Moonrise Kingdom, Safety Not Guaranteed, Specialty Box Office

FilmDistrict scored on the specialty side this weekend with a solid $11K-plus average with Safety Not Guaranteed. The movie grossed $100K across 9 locations. FilmDistrict distribution president Jim Orr said, “Safety Not Guaranteed opened very close to what we expected, though the increase on Saturday from Friday was higher than we anticipated which we think reflects the great word of mouth that this picture will enjoy. We expand Safety into a total of 17 markets and close to 50 theater on the 15th, then expand into a total of 37 markets on the 22nd and roughly 120 theaters.”

Related: HOT WEEKEND! Both ‘Madagascar 3′ And ‘Prometheus’ On Fire For $59.6M/$49.5M

Todd Solondz has long been a favorite of a certain kind of movie lover. His last film, Life During Wartime opened in one theater with just over $30K its opening weekend in 2010 and for comparison sake, Palindromes (2005) averaged a bit over $8K in its opener in seven theaters. His latest, Dark Horse, came in ‘asi-asi’, or just fine for the uninitiated, with $15K in one location. “We are extremely proud of the weekend numbers for Dark Horse,” said Ruth Vitale, who is spearheading Brainstorm Media’s entry into theatrical. “Todd Solondz is one of the definitive voices in independent cinema, and the combined teams of Brainstorm, Double Hope Films, and Vitagraph have all contributed to his latest film’s success.”

Focus Features added 80 locations for their Wes Anderson-directed Moonrise Kingdom in its third weekend, the Cannes 2012 opener grossed just under $1.6M for a $16,443 average. And even better is the fact that the feature landed in the big box office top 10. Read More »

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‘Lola,’ ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’, ‘Peace, Love & Misunderstanding’: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday June 7, 2012 @ 8:10pm PDTTags: Aubrey Plaza, Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Olsen, Jane Fonda, Mark Duplass

Specialty releases can clean up at the box office if they’re seen as serious awards contenders, but the majority of limited rollouts never make it to the awards big leagues in a given year. Two of this week’s new specialty openers are admittedly not in play for any golden statuettes according to their insiders (unless this is some sort of reverse-psychology campaign?). First off, Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener starrer Peace, Love & Misunderstanding will open in 25 cities this weekend. Its high-profile stars along with some now high-profile newcomers might be just the thing for moviegoers looking for a summer escape. China Lion’s Double Trouble will have a smaller indie platform release, hoping to cash in on the first film of Hong Kong star Jackie Chan’s son, Jaycee. Also hitting screens is FilmDistrict’s Safety Not Guaranteed, which concerns a magazine crew that sets out in search of the person who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time-travel. Then there’s Daryl Wein’s Lola Versus with star Greta Gerwig courtesy of Fox Searchlight and doc Paul Williams Still Alive is taking its story about the Oscar and Grammy award-winning star via a more DIY approach.
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‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘Marigold Hotel’ Shine As Openers Fizzle: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday June 3, 2012 @ 11:21am PDTTags: Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Moonrise Kingdom, Specialty Box Office, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Among specialty releases, holdovers held the spotlight the first weekend of June. Memorial Day weekend’s record-breaking opener Moonrise Kingdom retained its crown atop the box office in the specialty arena, averaging just over $53K per theater in 16 locations. Focus Features added 13 locations for the Wes Anderson-directed feature, which opened Cannes last month. And on this Diamond Jubilee weekend, Focus is, well, jubilant: “Moonrise continues to generate outstanding results this weekend,” a Focus spokesperson said this morning. “Saturday’s large increase over Friday (42%) reflects theaters adding more seats in response to demand (there were sellouts throughout the day). The estimated $53K theater average defines the film’s powerful box office momentum.”

Related: ‘Moonrise Kingdom Topples Record, ‘Intouchables’ Strong

But the jewel in the crown is still Fox Searchlight‘s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which added 61 locations in its fifth weekend out. Set in India, the film took in  $4.6 million over the weekend, landing itself again in the overall box office top 10 with only a 25% decline from last last weekend’s gross, Read More »

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Specialty Box Office: ‘5 Broken Cameras,’ ‘Pink Ribbons, Inc.,’ ‘Wish Me Away’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday May 31, 2012 @ 4:29pm PDT

Movies Opening This WeekendA trio of docs are among this weekend’s new specialty offerings. Kino Lorber Films’ 5 Broken Cameras began when a Palestinian farmer decided to record Israeli soldiers in his village over a number of years and recruited an Israeli to pull the footage together into a film. First Run Features’ Pink Ribbons, Inc. takes a critical look at an organization that has been a leader in the fight against breast cancer, but some wonder whether it has lost sight of its primary purpose. And just in time for June’s round of gay pride events in the U.S., Wish Me Away captures the emotional “coming out” of country music star Chely Wright who tapped a pair of documentary filmmakers to chronicle the lead-up to her public acknowledgement on network television.
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‘Moonrise Kingdom’ Topples Record; ‘Intouchables’ Strong: Specialty Box Office

By BRIAN BROOKS | Monday May 28, 2012 @ 10:49am PDTTags: James Schamus, Moonrise Kingdom, Specialty Box Office, The Intouchables

After two weeks of unimpressive specialty openers, Focus Features‘ Moonrise Kingdom has taken the specialty box office by storm, shattering records over Memorial weekend. Directed by Wes Anderson, the film opened the Cannes Film Festival and then hit theaters in the States, setting a new record for a live-action feature in a regular theatrical run, surpassing Dreamgirls‘ stunning $126K per theater average debut in three theaters back in 2006. Moonrise Kingdom averaged a whopping $130,752 at four locations and an overall four-day $669K gross. Focus, which holds worldwide rights, will take the movie to additional cities in the U.S. each weekend through June, expanding Moonrise Kingdom to several hundred screens. “Moonrise is a story of love’s improbable triumph, and for Wes Anderson and his team a labor of love from start to finish,” said Focus CEO James Schamus. “How wonderful it is to congratulate him, on behalf of everyone at Focus, for this remarkable, record-breaking opening.”

Also opening with gusto, The Weinstein Company‘s The Intouchables, which averaged over $34K in four theaters. This should bode well for the French-produced film. It has had a spectacular run overseas, breaking records in France and grossing well over $300 million to date.

Related: ‘Marigold’, ‘Bernie’ Shine As Newcomers Disappoint

Among other Memorial Day weekend specialty debuts, Samuel Goldwyn’s Cowgirls n’ Angels screened in 50 theaters, averaging a disappointing $1,314, while Adopt Films launched Mighty Fine at 30 locations, averaging a similarly tepid $1,233. A bit stronger were Fisher Klingenstein’s OC87 which bowed at one location, grossing $7,500, while Strand Releasing’s Oslo, August 31st averaged $5,750 from a pair of theaters. Read More »

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Specialty Box Office: ‘Cowgirls N’ Angels,’ ‘The Intouchables,’ ‘Moonrise Kingdom,’ ‘Oslo, August 31st’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 2:46pm PDTTags: Cannes, Focus Features, Moonrise Kingdom, Strand Releasing, The Intouchables

This weekend’s specialty openers in the U.S. include a pair of Cannes Film Festival offerings. Just over a week since its world premiere as the fest’s opening-night film, Wes Anderson’s romantic-comedy Moonrise Kingdom will bow Stateside. The film has been an initial success since opening in theaters in France on the heels of its premiere there. Cannes 2011 title Oslo, August 31st also joins the specialty fray, hoping to repeat its success overseas in the U.S., as is The Weinstein Company‘s The Intouchables. That film has become one of the largest box office draws in French history and has taken big sums overall abroad. Also this weekend, Samuel Goldwyn Films will forgo the traditional L.A. and New York approach for its theatrical opening of Cowgirls N’ Angels, opting for playdates in the Midwest and South. Read More »

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