UPDATED at 12:10PM PT with more numbers and analysis. The Orchard sprouted a hit over the weekend, opening teen comedy Flower, starring Zoey Deutch, in just three theaters and grossing a rousing $57,851.
That tally yielded the highest per-theater average of the weekend, though right behind it was IFC Films’ The Death of Stalin, which came in with $18,143 per situation in its second frame even while expanding to 32 runs.
Focus Features’ 7 Days in Entebbewent out to over 800 theaters on Friday with a so-so $1.63M start, while Good Deed Entertainment’s Journey’s Enddebuted in two locations, grossing $12,700.
Classical music doc Itzhakexpanded to 19 runs in its second weekend, conducting $37,500, while SPC’s The Leisure Seeker with Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland camped in 49 theaters in its second outing, taking in $149K. Also in Week Two was Focus’ Thoroughbreds, which collected $470K. Best Foreign Language winner A Fantastic Woman widened to 190 theaters grossing over $203K, while other Oscar winners put up largely tepid numbers (though The Shape of Water did crack $100M overseas after a stellar China bow).
Writer-director Max Winkler’s Flower got a little help from its friends, according to its distributor, The Orchard. “Endorsements from major celebrities helped bolster multiple sellouts in all locations and a fantastic mix of diverse audiences,” the company said today. The Orchard picked up the feature about a rebellious, quick-witted, 17-year-old firecracker living with her single mom at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival. “We felt it was a unique voice,” said The Orchard’s Paul Davidson earlier this week. “Though it’s now a year later and the world is a different place, the themes of female empowerment and young people making their way in the world is very timely.”
Flower will go to 60 locations in the top 20 markets next weekend ahead of a national expansion March 30.
Fellow Tribeca debut Keep The Change, by writer-director Rachel Israel, had a solid start in an exclusive run. The romantic-comedy by Rachel Israel took in $13K, pointing to promising theatrical prospects. “We believed in this heart-warming romantic comedy starring non-professional actors on the autism spectrum from the start, so we are extremely gratified that rave New York reviews and audience enthusiasm will now assure this landmark motion picture a robust national expansion,” said Wendy Lidell, Kino Lorber’s SVP of Theatrical/Nontheatrical Distribution & Acquisitions. The feature will add locations in the coming weeks.
The widest of the weekend’s specialties was Focus Features’ 7 Days in Entebbe with Rosamund Pike and Daniel Brühl. The drama-thriller, based on a true story of a 1976 hijacking, grossed $1.63M in 838 theaters for a so-so $1,945 average. Focus looked to its 2017 release The Zookeeper’s Wife, which it successfully rolled out last March, as a template for 7 Days. Starring Jessica Chastain along with Brühl, Zookeeper opened in 541 theaters, grossing $3.28M ($6,079 average). It went on to cume $1.57M.
Good Deed Entertainment opened British war drama Journey’s End in New York and Los Angeles Friday. The WWI feature, starring Paul Bethany and Sam Claffin, grossed $12,700, averaging $6,350. “We’re encouraged by both the extremely positive critical and consumer reactions,” said Kristin Harris, VP, Acquisitions and Distribution, for Good Deed. “Having witnessed theater-goers sitting in emotional silence well after the end credits have rolled, following the last, powerful moments of Dibb’s film, we feel strongly that positive word-of-mouth in conjunction with the calculated rollout strategy we’ll be executing will ensure that Journey’s End continues to find and connect with its audience.”
IFC Films’ Death of Stalin continued its dominance into a second frame. Starring Steve Buscemi, Son Russell Beale and Jeffrey Tambor, Armando Iannucci’s political satire grossed $580,576, averaging $18,143. Stalin had IFC Films’ second-best multi-screen opening last weekend (behind only 2014’s Boyhood), grossing $77,524 in four theaters, averaging $45,327. This weekend’s numbers placed it in the top 20 overall.
IFC Films said Sunday that the film “continued to sell out multiple shows in its expansion building on strong word of mouth and excellent reviews.” The film will head to the top 50 markets next weekend.
Greenwich Entertainment’s Itzhak expanded to 19 runs Friday. The doc about violinist Itzhak Perlman, which was directed by Alison Chernick, grossed $37,500, averaging $1,974. In its debut in two locations, the film took in $14,442, averaging $7,221. Itzhak’s two-week cume is $53,796.
Sony Classics doubled its reach for The Leisure Seeker in its second frame, grossing $149K in 49 locations ($3,041 average). The title starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland opened in 28 theaters last weekend, grossing over $119K ($4,270 average). It has cumed nearly $327K.
Also in week 2 is Focus’ Thoroughbreds, which had 15 additional runs over its debut. Thoroughbreds grossed $470K averaging just $837. In its launch, the feature took in $1.22M in 549 locations, averaging $2,229. It has cumed $2,267,000.
SPC kept Foxtrot in 6 locations in its third weekend, grossing $52,650 for a $4,388 PTA, which is only a small decrease from the last weekend. In its second frame, the title grossed $29,757 in six theaters, averaging $4,960.
Sony Classics added 34 runs for its Best Foreign Language Oscar winner A Fantastic Woman in its seventh weekend, grossing $203,711 ($1,072 average) bringing its cume to just shy of $1.5M.
Other Oscar titles held in decently. Best Picture winner The Shape of Water grossed $800K in 758 locations ($1,055 average), bringing its cume to $62.68M. Darkest Hour took in $105K ($789 average) in 133 locations, while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri grossed $265K in 282 theaters ($940 average). A24’s Lady Bird grossed $73,800 in 88 locations, averaging $839. It has cumed $48.85M.
NEW RELEASES
7 Days in Entebbe (Focus Features) NEW [838 Theaters] Weekend $1,630,000, Average $1,945
Flower(The Orchard) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $57,851, Average $19,284
Journey’s End (Good Deed Entertainment) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $12,700, Average $6,350
Keep The Change(Kino Lorber) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $13,000
Ramen Heads (Gunpowder & Sky) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $7,014, Average $3,507
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
The Death of Stalin (IFC Films) Week 2 [32 Theaters] Weekend $580,576, Average $18,143, Cume $843,967
Itzhak(Greenwich Entertainment) Week 2 [19 Theaters] Weekend $37,500, Average $1,974, Cume $53,796
The Leisure Seeker (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 2 [49 Theaters] Weekend $149,028, Average $3,041, Cume $326,984
Thoroughbreds(Focus Features) Week 2 [564 Theaters] Weekend $470,000, Average $837, Cume $2,267,000
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Foxtrot(Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3 [6 Theaters] Weekend $52,650, Average $4,388, Cume $175,824
The Young Karl Marx (The Orchard) Week 4 [8 Theaters] Weekend $7,901, Average $988, Cume $94,147
Double Lover (Cohen Media Group) Week 5 [1 Theaters] Weekend $485, Cume $164,392
Loveless(Sony Pictures Classics) Week 5 [ Theaters] Weekend $47,730, Average $1,110, Cume $379,474
The Party (Roadside Attractions) Week 5 [80 Theaters] Weekend $63,040, Average $788, Cume $600,623
Samson(Pure Flix) Week 5 [34 Theaters] Weekend $19,500, Average $574, Cume $4,675,031
A Fantastic Woman (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 7 [190 Theaters] Weekend $203,711, Average $1,072, Cume $1,495,730
Forever My Girl (Roadside Attractions) Week 9 [37 Theaters] Weekend $17,975, Average $486, Cume $16,291,941
The Insult (Cohen Media Group) Week 10 [12 Theaters] Weekend $17,668, Average $1,472, Cume $932,230
Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool(Sony Pictures Classics) Week 12 [38 Theaters] Weekend $12,016, Average $316, Cume $840,916
Hostiles(Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures) Week 13 [102 Theaters] Weekend $52,000, Average $510, Cume $29,700,847
Phantom Thread (Focus Features) Week 13 [92 Theaters] Weekend $245,000, Average $1,038, Cume $20,907,000
I, Tonya (Neon/30West) Week 15 [160 Theaters] Weekend $110,385, Average $690, Cume $29,744,035
The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight) Week 16 [758 Theaters] Weekend $800,000, Average $1,055, Cume $62,688,637
Call Me By Your Name(Sony Pictures Classics) Week 17 [118 Theaters] Weekend $128,304, Average $1,087, Cume $17,743,161
Darkest Hour (Focus Features) Week 17 [133 Theaters] Weekend $105,000, Average $789, Cume $56,311,000
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight) Week 19 [282 Theaters] Weekend $265,000, Average $940, Cume $53,888,624
Lady Bird (A24) Week 20 [88 Theaters] Weekend $73,800, Average $839, Cume $48,851,065
BPM (Beats Per Minute) (The Orchard) Week 22 [2 Theaters] Weekend $1,792, Cume $125,080
Faces Places (Cohen Media Group) Week 24 [10 Theaters] Weekend $4,712, Average $471, Cume $934,594
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