UPDATE with more details: Natalie Portman’s feature directorial debut A Tale Of Love And Darkness got off to a good start over the weekend for Focus World in two New York and Los Angeles locations. The Hebrew-language drama, which Portman also penned and stars in, grossed $36,000 easily outperforming other specialty box office newcomers’ per-theater averages during the frame.
CBS Films
CBS Films and Lionsgate added several hundred locations for its gritty Hell Or High Water in the Cannes hit’s second frame in theaters, grossing $2.65 million. The pic is cementing itself as a summer box office star. Adding 440 theaters in its second weekend for a total of 472 locations, it averaged $5,614 per screen for a two-week cume of $3.5M. CBS Films said the film is playing broadly, with the weekend’s top U.S. grosses coming from a diverse range of markets including Oklahoma City, L.A., Scottsdale, New York, Albuquerque, Austin and Sacramento as it continues its expansion.
Hell Or High Water placed 12th in the overall box office as of Sunday morning, though the 11 titles above it were in far more theaters.
Among other newcomers this weekend, Stage 6 Films/Vertical Entertainment/Squire Enix opened the animated Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV in two dozen locations grossing $114K. Magnolia Pictures rolled out Werner Herzog’s latest documentary Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World in a day-and-date release, grossing $120K from 39 runs. A24 launched Morris In America in theaters on the heels of a 30-day exclusive window on DirecTV — it grossed $16K in two locations. Cohen Media Group, meanwhile opened its The People Vs. Fritz Bauer in six theaters, taking in $33,871.
Tale Of Love And Darkness bowed Friday at the Sunshine in New York and The Landmark in Los Angeles. Based on the memoir of Israeli writer-journalist Amos Oz, the title landed a $18K per-theater average, the highest of all features reporting numbers this morning. Portman participated in a post-screening Q&A following evening screenings on Friday at the Sunshine Cinema and on Saturday at the Landmark.
Focus World became involved with the title at the beginning of the year as part of its strategic decision to include docus and foreign work on its slate again. It will expand the pic next weekend 12 more U.S markets, with small expansions in New York and Los Angeles, for a total of 22 locations.
Sundance
Following an exclusive 30-day window on DirecTV, Chad Hartigan’s coming-of-age film Morris From America averaged $8K per theater for distributor A24 ahead of a planned nationwide expansion. The Craig Robinson-starrer won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance this year.
The Japanese-produced adventure drama Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV rolled out in two dozen locations. Featuring Aaron Paul, Lena Headey and Sean Bean, the Takeshi Nozue title grossed $114K, giving it a $4,750 PTA. “With such a high production value and amazing voice cast, we really wanted to give the dedicated fans a chance to see it on the big screen,” said Vertical’s Michael Pollock on Sunday. The title will head to additional runs in the coming weeks.
Magnolia Pictures’ Lo And Behold hit 39 theaters (a $3,077 PTA) as well as on-demand as kicked off its run ahead a summer and fall expansion. Magnolia said Sunday that some locations in the Bay Area had not reported grosses. Among Herzog’s to-grossing documentaries, his 2011 film Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (IFC Films) grossed more than $5.3 million, and his 2005 feature Grizzly Man cumed $3.17 million.
Lars Kraume’s The People Vs. Fritz Bauer bowed in six locations for a $5,630 per-theater avearge. The feature won four Lola German Film Awards this year, including Outstanding Feature Film and Best Lead Actor for Burghart Klaussner. Cohen will add several cities and locations in the coming weeks, with a platform release that will follow box office.
Bleecker Street’s Anthropoid played 441 runs in its second week, 11 fewer than in its debut weekend. The thriller starring James Dornan and Cillian Murphy grossed $546,792, averaging $1,240. Last weekend it grossed more than $1.2 million, averaging $2,683. Its current cume is $2.33 million.
Sony Classics added 13 locations for Equity in its fourth weekend. In 43 theaters, the film grossed $142,853, averaging $3,322. Last weekend, the feature grossed $143,706 from 30 runs, averaging $4,790. Its four-week cume is now $533,196.
Summit/Roadside Attractions
Roadside Attractions added 50 locations for James Schamus’ Indignation also in its fourth weekend. In 317 theaters, the feature grossed more than $553K, averaging $1,745. Its cume is now $2.37 million.
The Film Arcade’s Don’t Think Twice still holds the 2016 record for highest debut-weekend PTA at $92,835 (albeit in one theater). The title by Mike Birbiglia is now in 100 theaters, 30 more than last week, and it grossed $400,200 for a $4,002 average Friday-Sunday. Its five-week cume is now $1.77 million.
Woody Allen’s Café Society currently has the year’s second-best debut PTA at $71,858. This weekend, the Lionsgate/Amazon release grossed $520K, averaging $1,919 in 271 theaters as its cume reaches $9.43 million.
NEW RELEASES
A Tale Of Love And Darkness (Focus World) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $36K, Average $18K
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (Stage 6 Films/Vertical Entertainment/Squire Enix) NEW [24 Theaters] Weekend $114K, Average $4,750
Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World (Magnolia Pictures) NEW [39 Theaters] Weekend $120K, Average $3,077 (Day and Date Open)
Morris In America (A24) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $16K, Average $8K (Ultra-VOD open)
The People Vs. Fritz Bauer (Cohen Media Group) NEW [6 Theaters] Weekend $33,871, Average $5,630
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
Anthropoid (Bleecker Street) Week 2 [441 Theaters] Weekend $546,792, Average $1,240, Cume $2,331,327
Hell Or High Water (CBS Films/Lionsgate) Week 2 [472 Theaters] Weekend $2.65M, Average $5,614, Cume $3,527,687
HOLDOVERS/THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Equity (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4 [43 Theaters] Weekend $142,853, Average $3,322, Cume $533,196
Gleason (Open Road/Amazon) Week 4 [56 Theaters] Weekend $34,858, Average $622, Cume $545,420
Indignation (Roadside Attractions) Week 4 [317 Theaters] Weekend $553,100, Average $1,745, Cume $2,370,504
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (Fox Searchlight) Week 5 [52 Theaters] Weekend $58K Average $1,115, Cume $4,584,919
Don’t Think Twice (The Film Arcade) Week 5 [100 Theater] Weekend $400,200, Average $4,002, Cume $1,771,675
Café Society (Amazon/Lionsgate) Week 6 [271 Theaters] Weekend $520K, Average $1,919, Cume $9,431,665
Hillary’s America (Quality Flix/D’Souza Entertainment) Week 6 [140 Theaters] Weekend $117K, Average $835, Cume $12,335,817
Captain Fantastic (Bleecker Street) Week 7 [153 Theaters] Weekend $230,338, Average $1,505, Cume $4,714,595
Life, Animated (The Orchard) Week 8 [10 Theaters] Weekend $4,836, Average $484, Cume $214,361
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (The Orchard) Week 9 [125 Theaters] Weekend $163,800, Average $1,310, Cume $4,175,758
The Music Of Strangers (The Orchard) Week 11 [20 Theaters] Weekend $9,835, Average $492, Cume $1,100,076
Love & Friendship (Roadside Attractions/Amazon) Week 15 [18 Theaters] Weekend $16,800, Average $937, Cume $13,966,925
