‘Her Smell’ Out-Croons ‘Teen Spirit’ But Not By Much In Another Slow Weekend: Specialty Box Office

Punk won this weekend. The Toronto and New York film festivals premiere Her Smell by Alex Ross Perry stars Elisabeth Moss in a Courtney Love-esque role. This is the third collaboration between Moss and Perry following Queen Of Earth (2015, $91K theatrical) and Listen Up Philip ($200K theatrical). The title opened at IFC Center, Nitehawk Prospect Park in New York and the Bell Lightbox in Toronto, coming in at number one in all three locations Friday and Saturday nights, according to distributor Gunpowder & Sky.

“We’re pleased with the opening which brought in a young crowd in [Manhattan] and Brooklyn especially —where the film was trending on Twitter this weekend,” said Gunpowder & Sky Sunday morning. The company added that interest piqued with female audiences augmented by arthouse stalwarts and some older audiences driven by reviews.

Next up, Her Smell will head to more art house locations in select cities as well as the Arclight Hollywood.

Teen Spirit played last September’s Toronto International Film Festival and the recent SXSW. Bleecker Street also targeted the primary young female audience in the film’s debut.  “One primary category is women between 13 and 25 — they’re the hotspot,” said Bleecker Street’s Jack Foley earlier this week. “They’re the group who have been seeing Five Feet Apart (Lionsgate, $41.9M).” 

Teen Spirit will play nationally starting April 19 in about 800 theaters.

It’s a SXSW weekend. Wild Nights With Emily also debuted at the festival. The Molly Shannon starrer played three New York and L.A. locations. Fellow Emily Dickinson biopic, A Quiet Passion (2016) starring Cynthia Nixon as the poet had a comparatively slower start but then crossed seven figures. The Music Box release opened in April, 2017 in six locations grossing nearly $46K ($7,638 PTA). It went on to cume $1.86M theatrically.

“It’s not often that a smart, accessible feel-good, romantic period comedy/revisionist bio pic about one of our greatest poets comes along,” commented Edward Arentz, co-Managing Director of Greenwich Entertainment Sunday. “So it’s gratifying to see audiences embrace Wild Nights, and suggests a healthy national roll out.”

Neon took Amazing Grace to 58 theaters in the doc’s second weekend. The feature which captures a young Aretha Franklin in concert at a Watts church in 1972 grossed $372,288 Friday to Sunday, averaging $6,419. In its start, Amazing Grace grossed $57,353 in three locations, averaging $19,118.

A24 gave Claire Denis sci-fi thriller High Life starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche a jump to 32 theaters in its second outing. High Life grossed $204,181, averaging $6,381. Its start was more lofty last weekend in its initial four theaters. The feature grossed $24,835 in its initial frame, averaging $24,835.

Amazon Studios added 29 runs for Mike Leigh’s Peterloo in its second frame. In 32 theaters, the British historical pic grossed an estimated $204,181 in the three-day, averaging $6,381. The title had a $26K start in three theaters last weekend, averaging $8,667.

PBS Distribution’s The Chaperone had a slow start, but its holding its own in its third weekend. Starring Elizabeth McGovern and Haley Lu Richardson, the period piece recalling Louise Brooks’ first trip to New York pre-stardom grossed $66,450 in 33 theaters ($2,014 average), an expansion of 20 runs vs. last weekend. The title, however, had an almost identical per theater average despite the location increase. The Chaperone grossed over $26K last weekend in 13 theaters, averaging $2,040. It has cumed over $113K.

Diane by Kent Jones and starring Mary Kay Place also showed gusto with an expansion as it went into its third weekend. The IFC Films release has an $83,627 estimate in 64 theaters, averaging $1,307. That is only 25% below its $1,744 PTA last weekend when the title played 33 runs ($57,556 weekend gross). Diane has cumed $201K.

Bleecker Street’s Hotel Mumbai is just shy of $8M following its fourth weekend. Starring Dev Patel and Armie Hammer, the feature grossed nearly $869K in 617 theaters, averaging $1,408 bringing its estimated cume to $7.97M as of early Sunday.

No Manches Frida 2 crossed the $9M threshold in its fifth weekend. The Pantelion/Lionsgate, Spanish-language release grossed $190K in 135 theaters Friday to Sunday, averaging $1,407. 2016 release, No Manches Frida, cumed $11.52M in theaters.

In its sixth outing, Julianne Moore starrer Gloria Bell took in $155K in 168 theaters ($923 average) brining its cume to $5.35M. The original Santiago-set Spanish-language Gloria (both directed by Sebastián Lelio) cumed $2.1M stateside.