Chris Chapman
Kino Lorber documentary Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami debuted to robust numbers over the weekend, grossing $60,442 in three locations, giving it an impressive $20,147 per theater average.
Thats the highest of the weekend and one of the best among all 2018 non-fiction openings. The same distributor also bowed Hitlers Hollywood with an exclusive showing, taking in $10,177.
Sony Classics rode The Rider into a trio of runs starting Friday for a solid $45,268 start, averaging $15,089.
The weekend also saw a couple of semi-wide newcomers including Bleecker Streets Sundance thriller Beirutwith Rosamund Pike and Jon Hamm (which opened Wednesday), grossing an estimated $1.65M in the three-day span, while Fathom Events played The Met: Live in HD Luisa Miller in 900 locations, grossing $1.28M.
Amazons You Were Never Really Here expanded to 51 theaters in its second frame. The Joaquin Phoenix starrer grossed $324K Friday through Sunday. A24 also added locations for Andrew Haighs Lean On Pete, grossing $79K from 18 runs. Among other titles, IFC Films comedy The Death of Stalin now stands at more than $6.3M in its sixth week of release. And in terms of milestones, Cohen Media Groups The Insult edged past one million dollars in its 14th weekend.
Director Sophie Fiennes Grace Jones documentary brought to mind some recent non-fiction performances. Last year, Oscilloscopes Kedi opened with an exclusive run, grossing over $40K, while An Inconvenient Sequel bowed in four theaters in July, grossing $124,823 for a $31,206 average.
Kino Lorbers Wendy Lidell, SVP Theatrical/Nontheatrical Distribution & Acquisitions tipped her hat to the docs flamboyant subject. “Grace Jones is a performer who has filled the Hollywood Bowl more than once,” Lidell said. “After this great start in New York, we anticipate that Sophie Fiennes impeccably crafted documentary about Grace will continue to fill theaters across the country.” Grace Jones will open Los Angeles and Boston on 4/20, before expanding broadly to national markets on April 27.
Cannes Directors Fortnight debut The Rider, which has a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes (92% on Metacritic) galloped into three locations Friday with good results for a film without known stars. The feature by Chloé Zhao grossed $45,268, for an average of $15,089. The title made the festival rounds in the months leading up to its commercial launch, winning over many hard-bitten programmers in the process. “Whats so remarkable about this is usually these festivals scoff at playing something thats played other festivals, but that was never in the conversation with this movie,” SPCs Michael Barker told Deadline. “They said its a great movie and wanted to play it.”
The Rider will next head to San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Chicago in its second weekend, followed by eight to 10 additional markets the following week. Added Barker, “Were not going too fast on this movie because we expect it will have a long tail.”
Director Lynne Ramsays You Were Never Really Here had a robust start grossing nearly $130K last weekend from three runs ($43,304 PTA), buoyed by Q&As with the filmmaker along with Phoenix. In expanding to 51 runs, it still had a decent $6,358 average and has a cume after 10 days of $511,115.
A24s Lean On Pete expanded from four to 18 runs in its second weekend. It grossed $79,021, averaging $4,390, and has a cume of $141,437.
FIP dropped Baaghi 2s theater count to 48 from 124 last weekend. The Bollywood title grossed $51,500 in 48 locations in its third frame, averaging $1,073. It has cumed over $1.3M in North America.
Roadside added 220 theaters for Finding Your Feet, also in its third outing. The title grossed $309,740 Friday to Sunday, averaging $1,118. Finding Your Feet grossed $127,265 the weekend prior, averaging $2,233. Its cume stands at $590,939.
Searchlight went wide with Wes Andersons Isle of Dogs in its fourth weekend, grossing $5M in 1,939 locations. For more on that, visit Deadlines studio box office.
SPC added 11 theaters for Final Portrait in its fourth frame. The feature took in $38,808 in 32 locations, averaging $1,213 bringing its cute to just over $200K.
IFC Films dropped the location count for comedy The Death of Stalin with Steve Buscemi to 330 in its sixth frame from last weekends 554. The title grossed $474,692, averaging $1,438. It took in over $1.1M last weekend, averaging $2,001. The Death of Stalins cume is now over $6.31M.
And Cohen Media Groups The Insult managed to cross $1M in its 14th weekend. In four theaters, it grossed $3,763 ($940 average) taking it to $1,000,035.
NEW RELEASES
Beirut(Bleecker Street) NEW [755 Theaters] Weekend $1,655,954, Average $2,193, Cume $2,028,043 (Mon. Estimate)
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (Kino Lorber) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $60,442, Average $20,147
Hitlers Hollywood (Kino Lorbeer) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $10,177
The Met: Live in HD Luisa Miller (Fathom Events) NEW [900 Theaters] Weekend $1,280,000, Average $1,422
The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $45,268, Average $15,089
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
Lean On Pete (A24) Week 2 [18 Theaters] Weekend $79,021, Average $4,390, Cume $141,437
You Were Never Really Here (Amazon Studios) Week 2 [51 Theaters] Weekend $324,282, Average $6,358, Cume $511,115
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Baaghi 2 (FIP) Week 3 [48 Theaters] Weekend $51,500, Average $1,073, Cume $1,302,452
Finding Your Feet (Roadside Attractions/Stage 6) Week 3 [277 Theaters] Weekend $309,740, Average $1,118, Cume $590,939
The Gardener (Gravitas Ventures) Week 3 [1 Theater] Weekend $3,700, Cume $33,234
Gods Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (Pure Flix) Week 3 [193 Theaters] Weekend $115,000, Average $596, Cume $5,429,292
Love After Love (IFC Films) Week 3 [6 Theaters] Weekend $6,206, Average $1,034, Cume $43,154
Outside In (The Orchard) Week 3 [5 Theaters] Weekend $2,525, Average $505, Cume $54,771
Back To Burgundy (Music Box Films) Week 4 [18 Theaters] Weekend $21,690, Average $1,205, Cume $135,263
Final Portrait (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4 [32 Theaters] Weekend $38,808, Average $1,213, Cume $200,265
Getting Grace(Hannover House) Week 4 [6 Theaters] Weekend $4,717, Average $786, Cume $160,361
Isle Of Dogs (Fox Searchlight) Week 4 [1,939 Theaters] Weekend $5,000,000, Average $2,579, Cume $18,450,864
Flower(The Orchard) Week 5 [3 Theaters] Weekend $1,398, Average $466, Cume $326,190
Ramen Heads (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 5 [3 Theaters] Weekend $3,011, Average $1,004, Cume $51,665
The Death of Stalin (IFC Films) Week 6 [330 Theaters] Weekend $474,692, Average $1,438, Cume $6,312,502
The Hurricane Heist (Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures) Week 6 [8 Theaters] Weekend $1,839, Average $230, Cume $6,108,225
The Leisure Seeker (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6 [276 Theaters] Weekend $276,829, Average $1,003, Cume $2,349,752
The Young Karl Marx (The Orchard) Week 8 [2 Theaters] Weekend $932, Average $466, Cume $121,103
The Insult (Cohen Media Group) Week 14 [4 Theaters] Weekend $3,763, Average $940, Cume $1,000,035
Hostiles(Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures) Week 17 [7 Theaters] Weekend $1,520, Average $217, Cume $29,811,665
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Deadline
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