‘Under The Silver Lake’ Drums Up Top PTA In Crowded Weekend; ‘Amazing Grace’ At $1.3M In Third Frame – Specialty Box Office

Cannes 2018 crime-dramedy Under The Silver Lake by David Robert Mitchell came out on top among the weekend’s crowded roster of specialty newcomers, which mostly had slow launches. The A24 title had a long journey to its theatrical release. The title, which stars Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough, grossed $40,157 in two locations over the Easter and Passover holiday weekend, averaging $20,079, the highest per theater average among releases as of Sunday morning.

IFC Films’ Red Joan was the only other limited release starter to have a per theater average with five figures. Starring Dame Judi Dench as Joan Stanley, the KGB’s longest-serving British spy, the feature grossed $40,631 in four locations, averaging $10,158. The company said Sunday it is expecting to “see a nice bump today from matinee audiences” who are fans of Dench. Red Joan will expand to the top five markets next weekend including Chicago, San Francisco, D.C. and Boston while also adding runs in New York and L.A. areas.

Sundance doc Hail Satan? had its theatrical debut on Good Friday with three runs in New York and L.A. Directed by Penny Lane and centering on the activist group The Satanic Temple, the title took in $25,700, averaging $8,567. The numbers include New York’s Wednesday opening at IFC Center (L.A.’s two theaters began showings on Friday). Next up for Hail Satan? are roll outs in key markets in the Bay Area, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Portland as well as Brooklyn’s BAM.

The Film Arcade opened comedy Family, the debut from writer-director Laura Steinel, starring Taylor Schilling. In three AMC locations in New York and L.A., the SXSW ’18 debut grossed $20,400 ($6,800 PTA). The company will take the title to 75 markets next weekend.

Neon bowed Nia DaCosta’s Western crime-drama Little Woods in 33 theaters. A debut out of last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, the feature starring Lily James, Tessa Thompson, Luke Kirby and Lance Reddick took $66,415 in the weekend box office ($2,013). Neon noted Sunday that Little Woods came in at number one at the Angelika in New York. Noted exec Elissa Federoff: “Nia Dacosta is an exciting new filmmaker and working with partners like Refinery 29 and Planned Parenthood have helped us get the word out on this important film.”

Lionsgate took sci-fi drama Fast Color to 25 theaters over the holiday weekend to $37,500 ($1,500 PTA). It appears the company is giving this a short run. Producer Jordan Horowitz (who also produced Lionsgate’s Oscar-winning box office hit LaLa Land) Tweeted Sunday: “Some news, if you want to see Fast Color in a theater, it’s looking like this weekend may be your only chance. While PR and reviews have been solid, there’s simply not enough awareness.”

In a follow-up Tweet, Horowitz said the title will be “around another few days,” adding: “And after it’s gone, we’ll see what we can do about getting it more widely available as soon as possible.”

Lionsgate did not immediately get back to a request for comment.

Screen Media has not reported weekend numbers for Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote as of early Sunday afternoon EDT.

Among holdovers, Gunpowder & Sky expanded Elisabeth Moss starrer Her Smell to 24 theaters, grossing $68,736 ($2,864 PTA). Kino Lorber’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night had the best second weekend PTA, for a $48,430 weekend in seven locations, averaging $6,918. Greenwich Entertainment’s Wild Nights With Emily jumped to 33 runs a nearly $68K gross ($2,053 PTA).

Bleecker Street’s Teen Spirit took a hit with an expansion from four to 696 theaters in its second frame, grossing $250,536 in the three-day estimate, averaging just $360.

UPDATED:

Initially slated for a summer slot following its debut at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, A24 moved writer-director David Robert Mitchell’s Under The Silver Lake to late fall and then finally gave it a spring start. Its opening weekend $40K-plus start in a crowded market gave the title some legs.

Noted A24 Sunday: “Audiences turned out for David Robert Mitchell’s impeccably crafted neo-noir starring Andrew Garfield in a terrific lead performance. The polarizing film will roll out theatrically into top markets next week…” Under The Silver Lake will also be available on demand through home entertainment platforms starting Tuesday, April 23.

Neon added 130 runs for Aretha Franklin doc Amazing Grace in its third frame. Centered on a 1972 concert the singer gave at a Watts church, the title grossed $591,642, averaging a solid $3,147. The feature, shot by Sydney Pollack, $349K last weekend in 58 theaters, averaging just over $6K. The film is now in the elite club of seven-figured non-fiction films and one of the only to do so this year so far.

Neon’s Apollo 11 is in the stratosphere with an $8.48M cume, now in its eight frame. The Sundance debut by Todd Douglas Miller has a three-day $110K estimate in 101 theaters, averaging $1,089.

Claire Denis’ High Life with Robert Pattinson played 114 additional locations over last weekend brining its count to 146. Friday to Sunday, the sci-fi thriller grossed $292K, averaging $2K. It took in nearly $180K in its previous weekend frame in 32 theaters, averaging $5,621. High Life has cumed $688,621

Mike Leigh’s historical epic Peterloo grossed a slow $38K in its third weekend with an additional 60 runs over last weekend, bringing its PTA to $413. Peterloo took in $32,498 in its previous frame in 32 theaters, averaging $1,016. Peterloo has cumed just under $118K.

PBS Distribution added 21 runs for The Chaperon’s fourth outing. Despite the steady increases, the title starring Elizabeth McGovern and Haley Lu Richardson has seen its per theater averages hold pretty steady. This weekend, the title grossed $86,420 in a total of 55 locations, averaging $1,571 (-11%) bringing its cume to just under $223K.

Last weekend, the title also had a 21 theater increase to 34 theaters for $59,398 and a $1,747 PTA.

Focus Features’ The Mustang galloped just over $4M in its sixth frame. In 487 theaters the drama starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Bruce Dern grossed $533K, averaging $1,094.

NEW RELEASES

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (Zeitgeist in association with Kino Lorber) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $3,801

Family (The Film Arcade) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $20,400, Average $6,800

Fast Color (Lionsgate) NEW [25 Theaters] Weekend $37,500, Average $1,500

Hail Satan? [Magnolia Pictures] NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $25,700, Average $8,567

Little Woods (Neon) NEW [33 Theaters] Weekend $66,415, Average $2,013

Rafiki (Film Movement) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $13,155, Average $6,577, Cume $18,547 (includes pre-release sneak gross)

Red Joan (IFC Films) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $40,631, Average $10,158

Under The Silver Lake (A24) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $40,157, Average $20,079

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

Girls Of The Sun (Cohen Media Group) Week 2 [10 Theaters] Weekend $5,752, Average $575, Cume $16,120

Her Smell (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 2 [24 Theaters] Weekend $68,736, Average $2,864, Cume $117,577

Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Kino Lorber Films) Week 2 [7 Theaters] Weekend $48,430, Average $6,918

Teen Spirit (Bleecker Street) Week 2 [696 Theaters] Weekend $250,536, Average $360, Cume $305,356

Wild Nights With Emily (Greenwich Entertainment) Week 2 [33 Theaters] Weekend $67,762, Average $2,053, Cume $106,551

HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS

Amazing Grace (Neon) Week 3 [188 Theaters] Weekend $591,642, Average $3,147, Cume $1,336,458

High Life (A24) Week 3 [146 Theaters] Weekend $292,000, Average $2,000, Cume $688,621

Peterloo (Amazon Studios) Week 3 [92 Theaters] Weekend $38,065, Average $413, Cume $117,936

The Beach Bum (Neon/Vice) Week 4 [36 Theaters] Weekend $35,500, Average $986, Cume $3,415,998

The Chaperone (PBS Distribution) Week 4 [55 Theaters] Weekend $86,420, Average $1,571, Cume $222,854

Hotel Mumbai (Bleecker Street) Week 5 [314 Theaters] Weekend $494,504, Average $1,575, Cume $8,940,274

Ash Is Purest White (Cohen Media Group) Week 6 [15 Theaters] Weekend $14,272, Average $951, Cume $381,303

The Hummingbird Project (The Orchard) Week 6 [5 Theaters] Weekend $1,533, Average $307, Cume $371,233

The Mustang (Focus Features) Week 6 [487 Theaters] Weekend $533,000, Average $1,094, Cume $4,032,000

No Manches Frida 2 (Pantelion/Lionsgate) Week 6 [73 Theaters] Weekend $70,000, Average $959, Cume $9,177,474

Gloria Bell (A24) Week 7 [100 Theaters] Weekend $76,000, Average $760, Cume $5,486,222

Apollo 11 (Neon) Week 8 [101 Theaters] Weekend $110,000, Average $1,089, Cume $8,484,424

Transit (Music Box Films) Week 8 [29 Theaters] Weekend $24,711, Average $852, Cume $729,936

Birds Of Passage (The Orchard) Week 10 [7 Theaters] Weekend $4,450, Average $636, Cume $506,617

Never Look Away (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 13 [10 Theater] Weekend $18,375, Average $1,838, Cume $1,230,222

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