So far, this November is comparatively slower vs. last years somewhat more turbo-charged specialty field, coming from the likes of Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name and others.
Over the weekend, CBS Films At Eternitys Gate led the pack of limited release newcomers. The Julian Schnabel-directed title from CBS Films, starring Willem Dafoe, grossed $92K from four locations, averaging $23K, the weekends highest per theater average.
Universal release Green Book with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali appeared in 25 theaters Friday to a timid showing. The title grossed $313K, averaging $12,520. Among other openers, China Lion bowed A Cool Fish with 15 runs for $65K ($4,333 average), while Cohen Media Group historical doc Shoah: Four Sisters by the late French filmmaker Claude Lanzmann had a single location, grossing $897.
For its second frame, The Orchard added nine theaters for Argentinas El Angel, grossing $20,848 in 11 locations ($1,895 PTA). China Lion added five runs for Last Letter in its second outing, taking in $37K in 23 theaters ($1,608 average) Friday to Sunday.
Focus Features jumped Boy Erased by Joel Edgerton to 409 theaters, grossing $1.28M ($3,134 average) and Fox Searchlight brought Can You Ever Forgive Me? to its widest point at 555 locations, crossing $5M from a weekend take of $880K. National Geographic Documentary Film doc Free Solo is closing in on $9M, grossing $491,825 is 187 theaters in its 8th weekend. And Bleecker Streets Colette went over $5M this past week.
Venice and New York Film Festival debut At Eternitys Gate starring Willem Dafoe as post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh opened in four New York and L.A. locations Friday.
The result places At Eternitys Gate on par with an animated Van Gogh release from last year. Loving Vincent opened with an exclusive weekend run in late September last year, grossing $23,180. It went on to cume over $6.7M. Schnabels last release, drama Miral, grossed $66,244 in its opening frame in four locations, averaging $16,561 en route to a cume of over $373K. His 2007 title The Diving Bell and the Butterfly from Miramax took in $75,721 in three theaters in its opening weekend, averaging $25,240 with an ultimate theatrical of just over $6M.
Noted CBS Films EVP Theatrical Distribution Steven Friedlander Sunday: “This opening perfectly sets up what we hope will be a long march to Oscar weekend for At Eternitys Gate. In the weeks ahead, we look forward to moviegoers across the country joining audiences in New York and Los Angeles in awe of Willem Dafoes performance as Vincent Van Gogh.”
CBS Films will add additional markets slowly through this month and into December.
Green Book, starring Oscar-nominee Viggo Mortensen and Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, went slower with its limited opening frame in 25 theaters via Universal. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the feature came in with $313K for a $12,520 per- theater average. The film can still find momentum with word-of-mouth as it settles in theatrically. Last week, during a pre-release screening of the film at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, Mortensen said he believes the film will be a tried-and-true title that audiences will want to revisit.
“As a movie, its not just a civics lesson or a historical movie. There are a lot of movies that come out that are successful at the box office or critically well-received, but [audiences may] not want to see them again. I think people will want to see this again.”
Argentinas entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar consideration, El Angel, went to 11 theaters in its second weekend, grossing $20,848 for a $1,895 per-theater average. The Agustin and Pedro Almodovar-produced crime-thriller grossed $23,348 in two theaters in its debut, averaging $11,674. El Angel has cumed $52,871.
China Lions Last Letter played an additional five locations in its second outing for $37K in the three-day estimate, averaging $1,608. The Chinese drama opened to $80,485 the prior weekend, averaging $4,471. It has cumed $155,025.
Focus Features Boy Erased starring Lucas Hedges is showing momentum following a sizable expansion Friday. The Joel Edgerton Telluride and Toronto debut took in $1.28M in 409 theaters, averaging $3,134. Last weekend, the title grossed over $758K in 77 locations, averaging $9,846. Boy Erased has cumed $2,632,000.
Neon added 14 runs for Border, marking its first full month in theaters, grossing $55K in 30 locations ($1,833 average). The feature grossed $48,196 in 16 theaters last weekend, averaging $3,012. Border has cumed $337,261.
Well Go USA drama-mystery Burning by Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong won the Best Foreign Language prize last night
at the Key West Film Festival (next weeks roll out, Shoplifters, won the Critics Prize). In 25 theaters, Burning grossed $65K for a $2,600 average. Thats just an 8% drop from its $2,837 PTA last weekend, though the title played 27 theaters ($76,608 gross). Well Go USA said Sunday that Burning will “continue to expand as it heads into awards season, with upcoming engagements in Chicago, Houston, Denver, Miami, Seattle, Madison and more still to come in the next few weeks.”
Searchlights Can You Ever Forgive Me? crossed $5M over the weekend. Over the weekend, the title grossed $880K in 555 theaters, averaging $1,586. The company noted Sunday that the film, directed by Marielle Heller and starring Melissa McCarthy, is now “at its widest point in release,” but it will “continue to seek out new bookings in theaters across North America over the next several weeks.”
Documentary Free Solo from National Geographic Documentary Film by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi is closing in on $9M. The title grossed $491,825 Friday to Sunday, averaging $2,630. The PTA is down only 10% from the previous weekends $2,846 from a nearly $757K gross in 266 locations. The distributor said the film is “showing amazing legs as it closes in on the $10M mark.”
And Bleecker Streets Colette starring Keira Knightley topped $5M ahead of the weekend. The period bio-drama grossed $51,522 in the three-day, averaging $599.
NEW RELEASES
A Cool Fish (China Lion) NEW [15 Theaters] Weekend $65,000, Average $4,333
Green Book (Universal) NEW [25 Theaters] Weekend $313,000, Average $12,520
At Eternitys Gate (CBS Films) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $92,000, Average $23,000
Shoah: Four Sisters (Cohen Media Group) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $897
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
El Angel (The Orchard) Week 2 [11 Theaters] Weekend $20,848, Average $1,895, Cume $52,871
Last Letter (China Lion) Week 2 [23 Theaters] Weekend $37,000, Average $1,608, Cume $155,025
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Bodied (Neon) Week 3 [3 Theaters] Weekend $1,277, Average $426, Cume $112,734
Boy Erased (Focus Features) Week 3 [409 Theaters] Weekend $1,280,000, Average $3,134, Cume $2,632,000
Maria By Callas (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3 [29 Theaters] Weekend $110,507, Average $3,811, Cume $484,009
Border (Neon) Week 4 [30 Theaters] Weekend $55,001, Average $1,833, Cume $337,261
Burning (Well Go USA) Week 4 [25 Theaters] Weekend $65,000, Average $2,600, Cume $300,954
Suspiria (Amazon Studios) Week 4 [53 Theaters] Weekend $93,950, Average $1,773, Cume $2,234,330
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Fox Searchlight) Week 5 [555 Theaters] Weekend $880,000, Average $1,586, Cume $5,058,185
Mid90s (A24) Week 5 [84 Theaters] Weekend $125,000, Average $1,488, Cume $7,159,255
What They Had (Bleecker Street) Week 5 [24 Theaters] Weekend $10,326, Average $430, Cume $254,061
Wildlife (IFC Films) Week 5 [98 Theaters] Weekend $65,612, Average $670, Cume $728,585
Beautiful Boy (Amazon Studios) Week 6 [558 Theaters] Weekend $587,016, Average $1,052, Cume $6,406,018
The Great Buster: A Celebration (Cohen Media Group) Week 7 [5 Theaters] Weekend $1,271, Average $254, Cume $81,975
Free Solo (National Geographic Documentary Film/Greenwich Entertainment) Week 8 [187 Theaters] Weekend $491,825, Average $2,630, Cume $8,960,308
The Old Man & The Gun (Fox Searchlight) Week 8 [171 Theaters] Weekend $160,000, Average $936, Cume $10,610,793
Colette (Bleecker Street) Week 9 [86 Theaters] Weekend $51,522, Average $599, Cume $5,089,387
Tea With The Dames (Sundance Selects) Week 9 [24 Theater] Weekend $18,721, Average $780, Cume $811,154
The Wife (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 14 [25 Theaters] Weekend $18,103, Average $724, Cume $7,773,121
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