‘The Assistant’ Delivers Satisfying Opening Weekend, The Clintons Usher In ‘Incitement’s U.S. Debut – Specialty Box Office

Dino-Ray Ramos
·7 min read

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Fresh off a screening at the Sundance Film Festival, Kitty Green’s The Assistant premiered this weekend in four theaters, setting a solid debut. Overall, the Time’s Up-era drama thrilled audiences, generating an estimated $84,702 at the box office.

It’s a strong start for the Bleecker Street film — which is opening in the midst of the Weinstein trial. The timing of the debut couldn’t be any more relevant. But there was a bit of a problem when it came to ticket sales at The Angelika in New York, as there was internet outage at the theater in its opening weekend. There were technical difficulties with online ticket sales for reserved seating, but tickets were available on a walk-up, cash-only basis. That said, this may have affected potential performance. Even so, the Angelika and the Lincoln in New York delivered estimated two-day grosses of $18.8K and $19.9K respectively, outperforming the Arclight and Landmark in Los Angeles.

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The US debut of Yaron Zilberman’s Incitement had a very special visitor over the weekend, with Bill and Hillary Clinton joining the audience on Saturday at The Landmark at 57 West in New York. This was one of two engagements in New York for the Greenwich Entertainment film, shining a light on the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. The film banked an estimated $21,750 in its debut.

Despite a visit from the Clintons, Incitement could have netted a stronger opening, considering it won Israel’s Ophir Awards, being submitted as Israel’s official entry for International Film at the Oscars, and its strong box office performance when it was released in Israel in September 2019. The film also stirred controversy with its content, and was met with condemnation from the country’s culture minister, Miri Regev, who said the film had “no place” in the country due to its perceived criticism of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Incitement is set to open in Los Angeles next weekend at Laemmle’s Royal Theater and Town Center, and will expand to more locations in the upcoming months.

Marco Bellochio’s The Traitor also opened this year after debuting in Italy last year. The Sony Pictures Classics film was the country’s official entry for International Feature Film at the Oscars and had three exclusive runs in New York and Los Angeles, debuting with an estimated $25,530, which, like Incitement, could have been better, considering the acclaim attached to the pic.

The Oscar-shortlisted Russian drama Beanpole also made its stateside debut starting January 29, and despite positive reviews and sell-out crowds in New York, the film had a disappointing debut, earning an estimated $10,515 over the weekend. Hopefully, the struggle will subside in the upcoming weeks, as the film is expanding to major markets, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and others.

Michael Pack’s documentary Created Equal: Clarence Thomas His Own Words opened in 23 runs in 18 markets, with soft numbers in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Orlando. The docu about the controversial figure earned an estimated $77,144. We hear it had OK numbers on Friday, but saw a drop throughout the weekend.

Other openings for the weekend included Aswathama, which opened on 95 theaters to the tune of $106,181, while Jawaani Jaaneman debuted in 110 theaters, earning $262,795. ShortsTV and Magnolia Pictures’ “2020 Oscar-Nominated Short Films” hit 460 screens ahead of Sunday’s big night with an estimated gross of $1,110,000. Outsider Pictures opened Li Cheng’s Jose at the Quad in New York, earning $10,200. It is set to expand to Los Angeles on February 7 at the Laemmle Royal.

In its second week, the Nicolas Cage sci-fi horror Color Out of Space pulled back to 68 screens, and although its weekend gross dropped from its debut to $114,452, it’s still posting decent numbers. The Roadside Attractions war drama The Last Full Measure, starring Sebastian Stan, added three screens in its second weekend, earning $519,110, pushing its cume past the $2 million mark.

And as we continue to keep tabs on Oscar titles a week out from the annual ceremony, Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit continues to hop along, earning an estimated $1,328,000 in its 15th week out to bring its cume to near $28 million. The film continues to rack up awards season trophies, including Costume Design and a WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

And finally, Bong Joon-Ho’s awards season favorite Parasite holds strong at 1,060 theaters, adding $1,627,500 to its box office till this weekend. The dark comedic masterpiece isn’t losing steam, as it adds more and more trophies to its mantle, including a WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as a SAG Award, Golden Globe, ACE Eddie Award, ADG Award and countless critics circle accolades. As it goes into its 18th weekend of release, the film rides the awards season wave with its six Oscar nominations and four BAFTA noms. Next weekend, the cinematic juggernaut aims to surpass a cume of $35 million.

NEW RELEASES

The Assistant (Bleecker Street) – Week 1 [4 Screens] Weekend/Cume $84,70, Average $21,176

Aswathama (BlueSky Cinemas) – Week 1 [95 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $106,181, Average $1,118

Beanpole (Kino Lorber) – Week 1 [1 Screen] Weekend $10,515, Average $10,515, Cume $14,197

Created Equal: Clarence Thomas His Own Words (Blue Fox Entertainment) – Week 1 [23 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $77,144, Average $3,354

Incitement (Greenwich Entertainment) – Week 1 [2 Screens] Weekend/Cume $21,750, Average $10,875

Jawaani Jaaneman (Zee Studios) – Week 1 [110 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $262,795, Average $2,389

Jose (Outsider Pictures) – Week 1 [1 Screen] Weekend/Cume $10,200

The Traitor (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 1 [3 Screens] Weekend/Cume $25,530, Average $8,510

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

Color Out of Space (RLJE Films) – Week 2 [68 Screens] Weekend $114,452, Average $1,683, Cume $576,558

The Last Full Measure (Roadside Attractions) – Week 1 [617 Theaters] Weekend $519,110, Average $841, Cume $2,084,553

Panga (Fox Star Studios) – Week 2 [102 Theaters] Weekend $126,347, Average $1,239, Cume $502,000

HOLDOVERS/THIRD+ WEEKEND

Clemency (Neon) – Week 6 [60 Screens] Weekend $28,765, Average $479, Cume $313,111

Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight) – Week 16 [1173 Theaters] Weekend $1,328,000, Average $1,132, Cume $27,957,000

Pain and Glory (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 18 [59 Screens] Weekend $67,253, Average $1,140, Cume $4,429,389

Parasite (Neon) – Week 17 [1060 Theaters] Weekend $1,627,500, Average $1,535, Cume $33,396,780

The Song of the Names (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 6 [140 Screens] Weekend $75,349, Average $538, Cume $823,589

Uncut Gems (A24) – Week 8 [492 Theaters] Weekend $473,056, Average $961, Cume $48,422,409

Weathering With You (GKIDS) – Week 3 [224 Theaters] Weekend $405,845, Average $1,812, Cume $7,273,408

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