Sundance Institute
Bo Burnhams Sundance debut Eighth Grade opened with the best debut weekend per theater average of the year.
Released via A24, the feature grossed over $252K in four locations, giving it a robust $63,071 PTA. The figure tops Searchlights Isle Of Dogs, which now holds the second-highest opening weekend average of 2018 at $60,011.
Amazon Studios launched Gus Van Sants latest, Dont Worry, He Wont Get Far On Foot, starring Joaquin Phoenix, also in four theaters Friday. Though overshadowed by Eighth Grade, the title nevertheless had a solid start, grossing $83,120 for a $20,780 average. PBS Distribution, meanwhile, opened Kimberly Reeds documentary Dark Money with an exclusive New York engagement ,grossing $8,100.
Shock And Awe had much more of the former than the latter, with a slow weekend gross of $41K in 100 theaters. Boots Rileys Sorry To Bother You jumped to eight hundred-plus theaters in its second frame to strong carry-over. The Annapurna release took in over $4.25M, averaging $5,289. Roadside Attractions/Miramaxs doc Whitney shed runs in its second outing, but still played several hundred theaters, grossing over $535K Friday to Sunday bringing its cume to over $2.35M.
Bleecker Street expanded Leave No Trace to over three hundred theaters in its second weekend, grossing over $1.15M. Neon doc Three Identical Strangers cloned another strong weekend, taking in $1.18M in 167 theaters, while fellow Sundance doc Wont You Be My Neighbor? from Focus Features expanded its lead as the years top non-fiction title at the box office, grossing over $1.88M in 868 locations.
Eighth Grade had momentum going into its bow, and the A24 release delivered a spectacular start over the weekend, taking the mantle for best opening weekend per theater average of 2018. Starring Elsie Fisher, Emily Robinson, Josh Hamilton and Jake Ryan, the Bo Burnham-directed comedy grossed $252,284 in four New York and L.A. theaters for a $63,071 average.
A24 said Sunday the feature “sold out shows in both L.A. and New York,” adding: “Audiences responded this weekend with exit polls through the roof showing sensational word-of-mouth for this moving, funny and authentic portrait of a young woman navigating her way through the universally relatable experience of eighth grade. Critics have also been incredibly supportive with rave reviews …particularly for Elsie Fishers star-making lead performance and Josh Hamiltons supportive turn as the befuddled dad trying to help her navigate life in the era of Instagram and Snapchat.”
Wes Andersons Isle Of Dogs had reigned as the years opening per theater average when it opened in March in 27 theaters, grossing over $1.6M, averaging $60,011, particularly impressive given that it was in over two dozen locations. Avengers: Infinity War follows Isle Of Dogs with a $57,599 opening PTA in April in nearly forty-five hundred theaters.
The next highest-ranking specialty release is IFC Films The Death Of Stalin, which took in $184,805 in four theaters in its opening frame, averaging $46,201 in March. Last weekend, Annapurnas Sorry To Bother You opened in the years top tier in terms of per theater average, with a $727,266 start in 16 theaters, averaging $45,454.
NEW RELEASES
Dark Money (PBS Distribution) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $8,100
Dont Worry, He Wont Get Far On Foot (Amazon Studios) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $83,120, Average $20,780
Eighth Grade (A24) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $252,284, Average $63,071
Milford Graves Full Mantis (Cinema Guild) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $8,515
Shock And Awe (Vertical Entertainment) NEW [100 Theaters] Weekend $41,000, Average $410
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
Sorry to Bother You (Annapurna) Week 2 [805 Theaters] Weekend $4,258,000, Average $5,289, Cume $5,322,952
Whitney (Roadside Attractions/Miramax) Week 2 [408 Theaters] Weekend $535,385, Average $1,115, Come $2,357,807
Yellow Submarine (Abramorama) Week 2 [79 Theaters] Weekend $84,379, Average $1,068, Cume $460,961
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Leave No Trace (Bleecker Street) Week 3 [311 Theaters] Weekend $1,158,879, Average $3,726, Cume $2,121,517
Sanju (FIP) Week 3 [223 Theaters] Weekend $500,000, Average $2,242, Cume $7,121,205
Three Identical Strangers (NEON/CNN Films) Week 3 [167 Theaters] Weekend $1,181,080, Average $7,072, Cume $2,517,854
Boundaries (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4 [145 Theaters] Weekend $77,667, Average $536, Cume $557,169
The Catcher Was a Spy (IFC Films) Week 4 [46 Theaters] Weekend $52,178, Average $1,134, Cume $578,104
The King (Oscilloscope) Week 4 [17 Theaters] Weekend $26,250, Average $1,544, Cume $104,985
Hearts Beat Loud (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 6 [131 Theaters] Weekend $131,025, Average $1,000, Cume $2,115,765
Wont You Be My Neighbor? (Focus Features) Wee 6 [868 Theaters] Weekend $1,885,000, Average $2,174, Cume $15,823,000
American Animals (The Orchard/MoviePass Ventures) Week 7 [78 Theaters] Weekend $78,408, Average $1,005, Cume $2,714,401
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