Searchlight Footage’ Poor Issues from Yorgos Lanthimos’ earned a stellar $72K per-screen common opening weekend in 9 theaters and 4 markets, for an estimated three-day complete of $644K. In a aggressive season, this marks the autumn’s finest restricted opening on ten or fewer screens and is within the yr’s high three.
The opposite two for 2023 had been heavy hitters Asteroid Metropolis by Wes Anderson, from Focus Options, which had a $100k+ PSA in six theaters in June; and A24’s Beau Is Afraid by Ari Aster that took in $80K per display final spring at 4 areas. Each had notable activations like Focus’ takeover of the Landmark Sundown, and Beau beginning out on Imax. For Poor Issues, Lanthimos and the movie’s stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef have been out doing Q&As in NYC over the weekend, with tickets for these showings promoting out.
In an abundance of riches this weekend, Waitress The Musical from Bleecker Avenue will cross an estimated $3.2 million in its opening weekend on 1,214 screens within the U.S and Canada. Extra on that. It’s no. 8 on the home field workplace.
A really energetic awards season is seeing specialty movies showings olid traction with the younger demos that distributors and arthouses have been wooing since Covid, in addition to beginning to lure again the extra elusive older viewers (The Holdovers as an illustration) with nice appearing and storytelling.
Poor Issues, a fantastical feminist story of a younger girl (Stone) delivered to life by an eccentric scientist (Dafoe) skews younger with 70% underneath 35, based on exit polls at 5 of the opening theaters. Audiences skewed 56% male, 62% Caucasian, 17% Hispanic, 14% East Asian/Pacific Islander, with a 68% Wonderful score and a 75% Particular Advocate. Over half of the viewers would inform others to see Poor Issues “in a theater immediately,” the distributor stated of the polls.
The polls — from the AMC Lincoln Sq. 13 (New York), Alamo Brooklyn (New York), AMC Burbank 16 (Los Angeles), and AMC Metreon 16 (San Francisco) — noticed rankings and suggest scores nicely above trade norms, constant throughout age and gender. It nabbed an A- CinemaScore. Its additionally licensed recent at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 88 Metacritic rating.
Additionally taking part in at Regal Union Sq. in NYC, AMC Century Metropolis, AMC The Grove in LA; the Alamo Drafthouse Mission in San Francisco and the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar Austin. It should develop in present markets and add 17 new cities subsequent week together with Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC, Portland, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver, then transfer to about 80 markets Dec. 22.
Poor Issues debuted at Venice the place it received the highest prize — Searchlight’s third Golden Lion win after The Form of Water and Nomadland, each of which took the Oscar for Finest Image. Was named a high movie of the yr final week by AFI and the Nationwide Board of Evaluation.
Different robust specialty openings this yr: Amazon Studios/MGM Studios and Emerald Fennell’s quirky Saltburn noticed a $45k PSA at seven theaters; Dream Situation and Priscilla, from A24, each had PSAs or $35.9k on six screens; The Holdovers noticed $33k on 4. (The latter from Focus Options opened earlier than the SAG-AFTRA strike ended with out the profit Paul Giamatti out touting the movie). A24’s Previous Lives by Celine Tune had a $58k PS at 4 theaters. MGM’s Bottoms opened at ten theaters with a $46k per theater common.
Final yr’s phenomenon, Every thing All over the place All at As soon as, had a gap per display common of $50.1k in 10 theaters.
Different new openings this weekend: Origin from Neon took $117k on simply two screens for a $58.5 PSA, a stellar debut for the movie by Ava DuVernay in qualifying runs. “That is an unimaginable end result for Origin, bringing within the 4th highest PSA of 2023, but it surely’s an particularly significant achievement provided that that is solely a one week qualifying launch. We look ahead to the movie’s true theatrical run in January.,” stated Neon distribution president Elissa Federoff. It opens Jan. 19.
Additionally from Neon, Eileen starring Anne Hathaway expanded to 532 screens in week two for a $615k weekend and a $746k cume.
One other nice exhibiting, Sideshow and Janus Movies opened Wim Wenders’ Anselm in 3D in New York this weekend on the IFC Middle and Movie at Lincoln Middle to an estimated gross of $43.3 and PSA of $21.65k. This marks the second highest per display common for a non-concert documentary this yr after Wild Life ($47k on two screens.)
Anselm premiered at Cannes and was additionally featured at Telluride, the place Wenders obtained the Silver Medallion Award. Opens unique engagements in Los Angeles subsequent weekend earlier than increasing to cities throughout the nation in January. Sideshow’s Jonathan Sehring stated the opening is similar to Pina’s 12 years in the past. “We’re excited to roll this out slowly over the following a number of weeks as we did with Drive My Automobile and EO.”
Extra to return…
