Once again, a doc topped the Specialty box office, as Magnolia’s Sundance pic Tickled tied up a decent debut in two theaters on both coasts, grossing $24K. Tickled showed some luster in an otherwise slow weekend for the limited release slate. TWC/Dimension opened thriller Clown in 100 theaters without much fanfare, while Wonder Films gave Seoul Searching a bow in a single location, grossing $6,780. The Orchard’s doc The Music Of Strangers had a solid expansion in its second frame, while A24’s De Palma headed out into additional locations with less zeal, though holding its own. Sundance Selects’ Weiner crossed a million, while SPC’s The Meddler passed $4M and Amazon/Roadside Attraction’s Love & Friendship amassed 8 figures.
Fetish-examining documentary Tickled was a bright spot in a mostly dreary weekend for Specialties drowned out by Finding Dory. A Sundance and True/False fest debut, the Magnolia film opened at the Nuart and Sunshine in L.A. and New York, respectively, grossing $24K for a $12K average. Tickled out-performed last week’s top-notched non-fiction debuts, A24’s De Palma (opening with a nearly $31K gross in three theaters, $10,285 average) and The Orchard’s The Music Of Strangers ($30K gross in 3 theaters, $10,028 average). The year’s debut documentary winner so far is Sundance Selects’ Weiner, which opened over a month ago in 5 theaters averaging $17,105. Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next is the year’s highest doc grosser at over $3.82 million.
Tickled heads to locations in Berkeley, Irvine, San Francisco, Chicago, Cambridge MA, Toronto and Montreal Friday, with over a dozen cities added ahead of the July 4 weekend. The doc will expand around North America throughout July.
Other reporting openers were banal by comparison. Wonder Films’ Seoul Searching bowed in a single location grossing $6,780 while TWC/Dimension opened thriller Clown in a hundred theaters, grossing just $27K for a slow $270 PTA.
Last weekend’s Specialty b.o debut winner De Palma headed into an additional 16 locations this weekend, facing some drop off. With 19 runs, the film about the celebrated filmmaker Brian De Palma grossed $37,659, averaging $1,982. De Palma opened last week in three theaters grossing $30,856, averaging $10,285. In its wake last week was The Orchard’s The Music of Strangers, though the film by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville held better in week 2 in an additional nine theaters. Strangers grossed $30,370 from 11 runs, averaging $2,761. The Orchard will expand the title to 50 runs in the coming week in the top 20 markets.
Winning the best non-fiction PTA of the year at over $17K in its roll-out 5 weeks ago, Sundance Selects’ Weiner played an additional 9 theaters over a week ago. In a total of 80 theaters, Weiner crossed a million dollars, grossing $144K, averaging $1,800. Last weekend the title grossed nearly $167K in 71 locations, averaging $2,352.
Sony Classics’ The Meddler played 42 fewer theaters vs. last weekend, but nevertheless passed a threshold. In 94 theaters, the film grossed $69,508 ($739 average), which was enough to cross a $4M cume.
And Amazon/Roadside Attractions’ Love & Friendship directed by Whit Stillman and starring Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny and Stephen Fry became one of over 50 titles this year to surpass eight figures. In its 6th frame, the film grossed just over $797K in 497 theaters, averaging $1,603 giving it a cume of nearly $11M.
NEW RELEASES
Clown (TWC/Dimension) NEW [100 Theaters] Weekend $27K, Average $270
Seoul Searching (Wonder Films) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $6,780
Tickled (Magnolia Pictures) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $24K, Average $12K
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
De Palma (A24) Week 2 [19 Theaters] Weekend $37,659, Average $1,982, Cume $81,420
Diary Of A Chambermaid (Cohen Media Group) Week 2 [9 Theaters] Weekend $16,872, Average $1,875, Cume $32,192
Genius (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) Week 2 [497 Theaters] Weekend $306,070, Average $2,300, Cume $442,620
The Music Of Strangers (The Orchard) Week 2 [11 Theaters] Weekend $30,370, Average $2,761 , Cume $67,734
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
The Fits (Oscilloscope) Week 3 [7 Theaters] Weekend $12K, Average $1,714, Cume $49,447
Maggie’s Plan (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 5 [335 Theaters] Weekend $471,417, Average $1,407, Cume $1,805,636
Weiner (Sundance Selects) Week 5 [80 Theaters] Weekend $144K, Average $1,800, Cume $1,055,210
The Lobster (A24) Week 6 [319 Theaters] Weekend $647,570, Average $2,030, Cume $6,690,086
Love & Friendship (Amazon/Roadside Attractions) Week 6 [497 Theaters] Weekend $797,040, Average $1,603, Cume $10,992,864
Dark Horse (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 7 [43 Theaters] Weekend $78,371, Average $1,823, Cume $368,707
Dough (Menemsha Films) Week 8 [10 Theaters] Weekend $10,842, Average $1,084, Cume $1,016,998
The Man Who Knew Infinity (IFC Films) Week 8 [90 Theaters] Weekend $117K, Average $1,300, Cume $3,487,211
The Meddler (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 9 [94 Theaters] Weekend $69,508, Average $739, Cume $4,033,872
Sing Street (The Weinstein Company) Week 10 [55 Theaters] Weekend $25K, Average $464, Cume $3,037,871
Hello, My Name Is Doris (Roadside Attractions/Stage 6 Films) Week 15 [47 Theaters] Weekend $22,020, Average $468, Cume $14,376,567
