‘Blue Jay’, ‘Newtown’ Among Newcomers In Mostly Slow

Specialty openers had mostly a slow-go this weekend, while a second weekend holdover, Denial, had the best per theater average showing among limited release titles. The Bleecker Street release actually had the second highest PTA overall at $7,417. Among newcomers, Zeitgeist’s Theo Who Lived and The Orchard’s Blue Jay technically had the highest PTAs, though they landed at just $5,539 and $5,235 respectively. Abramorama opened Sundance doc Newtown in New York and Los Angeles growing $6,796, while ArtAffects Entertainment bowed abortion drama Voiceless in 100 locations grossing about $250K. FilmRise’s The Greasy Strangler, meanwhile, played 11 runs in its debut, taking in $25K. Broad Green’s The Dressmaker crossed $1M in its third weekend in theaters, Lionsgate/Pantelion’s No Manches Frida crossed $11M this past week and The Orchard said the digital gross for Hunt For the Wilderpeople is now over $955K, while its theatrical cume stands at over $5.1 million.

Zeitgeist’s documentary Theo Who Lived and The Orchard’s romantic drama Blue Jay were at near parity in their debut weekends. Each played a single location, technically drawing the highest per theater averages among the newcomers. Theo Who Lived topped out at $5,539, while Blue Jay took in $5,235. The latter debuted last month in Toronto and played this weekend’s Hamptons International Film Festival ahead of its opening in New York Friday. Blue Jay will head to Los Angeles next weekend before becoming available on Netflix in December. Zeitgeist will take Theo Who Lived to Los Angeles on October 21.

Abramorama opened Sundance ’16 documentary Newtown, which takes a look at Newtown, CT in the years following the horrific December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 children and six school staffers dead. The feature, by Kim Snyder, made its regular theatrical bow in two L.A. and New York locations, grossing $6,796, averaging $3,398. Abramorama will keep the title in both markets leading up to a November 2 event screening across 330 theaters through Fathom, a partnership by Regal, AMC and Cinemart. “We went to them in order to make this available where docs don’t usually go. [This will] be the most efficient way to do it,” said Abramorama’s Richard Abramowitz earlier this week. “We’ll do the traditional opening in the two main media markets this weekend to get it attention, but then we’ll screen it with Fathom so it can go to many places.”

Following the event screening November 2, a townhall-style conversation will be fed to theaters via satellite, hosted by CNN’s Chris Cuomo. In addition to the Fathom screening, Abramorama is working to set up additional screenings after November 2 via universities and other community organized events. The Orchard will spearhead its digital release after the New Year and Independent Lens will broadcast the film in early 2017.

ArtAffects Entertainment gave an estimated weekend gross range of between $250K and $275K for its roll-out, Voiceless. The “pro-life” feature by Pat Necerato played 100 locations, giving it a $2,500 PTA against a $250K gross. ArtAffects did not say how the title will continue its roll-out as of Sunday morning.

FilmRise opened comedy-horror The Greasy Strangler in 11 theaters Friday. The feature by Jim Hosking grossed $25K, averaging just $2,273, though it was also available on-demand.

Bleecker Street’s Denial appears to have counter-punched a generally blasé Specialty box office in its second weekend expansion. Based on the book Denial: Holocaust on Trial by Deborah Lipstadt and starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson and Timothy Spall, the title grossed $229,935 in 31 theaters (26 more than its debut weekend), averaging $7,417, the second-best PTA of the weekend overall, just behind Universal’s The Girl On the Train, which came in at $7,844 albeit in far more theaters. Denial opened in 5 theaters last week, grossing $102,101, averaging a fairly hefty $20,420. The feature’s two-week cume is $523,727.

A24 added 21 runs for British director Andrea Arnold’s epic American Honey in its second frame. In 25 theaters, the feature starring Shia LaBeouf and newcomer Sasha Lane grossed $88,641, averaging $3,546. The title’s nearly three-hour run likely limits its availability. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $75,370 in 4 locations, averaging $19,843. It has cumed $185,191.

China Lion’s I Belonged to You lost one location in its second weekend, but held ok. The Chinese-produced feature grossed $160K in 49 theaters, averaging $3,546. I Belonged to You grossed $325K in 50 theaters in its debut, averaging $6,500.

FIP’s Indian-produced M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story, about celebrated cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, lost 23 runs in its second frame In 233 theaters, the title grossed $290K, averaging $1,245, a sizable decline from its $1.2 million gross in week one in 256 theaters ($4,688 PTA). M.S. Dhoni has cumed $1,625,317.

Music Box Films added 18 locations for A Man Called Ove in its second frame. The title grossed $95K in 27 theaters, averaging $3,519. Ove grossed $61K in 9 theaters last week, averaging $6,778. The company said Ove was up 95% Friday to Saturday, topping Birth of a Nation and The Girl on the Train in its opening theaters. Music Box will add about 45 engagements next Friday including runs in Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, Portland, Atlanta and Dallas.

Do Not Resist from Vanish Films grossed $4,065 in a single location in its second weekend. The title will next head to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. October 14 before expanding to markets including San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, St.Louis, Seattle, Detroit, Minneapolis and others throughout October and in to early November.

In its third weekend, Broad Green’s The Dressmaker crossed $1 million. In 174 theaters, the feature grossed nearly $235K, averaging $1,350.

And The Orchard said the digital gross for its popular summer release Hunt For the Wilderpeople is now $955,219. Theatrically, the film by Taika Waititi grossed $30,984 in 39 locations in its 16th weekend of release ($794 average). Its cume is now $5,139,459.

NEW RELEASES

Blue Jay (The Orchard) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $5,235

The Greasy Strangler (FilmRise) NEW [11 Theaters] Weekend $25K, Average $2,273

Newtown (Abramorama) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $6,796, Average $3,398

Theo Who Lived (Zeitgeist) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $5,539

Voiceless (ArtAffects Entertainment) NEW [100 Theaters] Weekend estimate between $250K and $275K, Average $2,500

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

American Honey (A24) Week 2 [25 Theaters] Weekend $88,641, Average $3,546, Cume $185,191

I Belonged to You (China Lion) Week 2 [49 Theaters] Weekend $160K, Average $3,265, Cume $592,799

Denial (Bleecker Street) Week 2 [31 Theaters] Weekend $229,935, Average $7,417, Cume $523,727

Do Not Resist (Vanish Films) Week 2 [1 Theater] Weekend $4,065, Cume $15,259

Harry & Snowman (FilmRise) Week 2 [12 Theaters] Weekend $18K, Average $1,500, Cume $97,164

A Man Called Ove (Music Box Films) Week 2 [27 Theaters] Weekend $95K, Average $3,519, Cume $178,721

M.S. Dhoni (FIP) Week 2 [233 Theaters] Weekend $290K, Average $1,245, Cume $1,625,317

HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS

Best Democracy Money Can Buy (Cinema Libre) Week 3 [2 Theaters] Weekend $1K, Average $500, Cume $22,560

The Dressmaker (Broad Green Pictures) Week 3 [174 Theaters] Weekend $234,970, Average $1,350, Cume $1,038,271

Girl Asleep (Oscilloscope) Week 3 [24 Theaters] Weekend $24K, Average $1K, Cume $33,540

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (Abramorama) Week 4 [21 One Night Engagements ; 120 Traditional Engagements] Weekend (One Night): $15,021, Average $715; (Traditional): $204,122, Average $1,701; Cume $2,420,305

Command and Control (The American Experience/PBS Films) Week 4 [6 Theaters] Weekend $9,050, Average $1,508, Cume $46,603

Hillsong: Let Hope Rise (Pure Flix) Week 4 [28 Theaters] Weekend $11K, Average $393, Cume $2,340,704

Demon (The Orchard) Week 5 [12 Theaters] Weekend $5,218, Average $435, Cume $93,245

No Manches Frida (Lionsgate/Pantelion) Week 6 [138 Theaters] Weekend $190K, Average $1,377, Cume $11,197,144

White Girl (FilmRise) Week 6 [2 Theaters] Weekend $8K, Average $4K, Cume $190,754

The Hollars (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 7 [40 Theaters] Weekend $18,568, Average $464, Cume $964,368

Hell Or High Water (CBS Films/Lionsgate) Week 9 [275 Theaters] Weekend $265K, Average $964, Cume $26,229,442

Don’t Think Twice (The Film Arcade) Week 13 [50 Theaters] Weekend $58,171, Average $1,163, Cume $4,231,922

Captain Fantastic (Bleecker Street) Week 14 [26 Theaters] Weekend $21,727, Average $835, Cume $5,804,315

Hunt For The Wilderpeople (The Orchard) Week 16 [39 Theaters] Weekend $30,984, Average $794, Cume $5,139,459; Digital $955,219

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