‘Parasite’ Sets Foreign Language Record at Indie Box Office

Jeremy Fuster

After becoming the first Korean film to win the Palme D’Or at Cannes, Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” has set several new records at the indie box office, including the largest per screen average for any foreign language film.

With approximately $376,274 grossed and a per screen average of $125,421, “Parasite” has also earned the largest average for any film in the last three years. To find a higher average, you have to go back to the release of “La La Land” in December 2016, where it earned a $176,000 average from a five screen release. “Parasite” now ranks as the 18th highest per screen average of all time and 8th highest per screen average for all live action films.

Also Read: 'Parasite' Film Review: Bong Joon-ho Tackles Disparity With Delicious Dark Comedy

NEON released “Parasite” this weekend at the Arclight Hollywood, the Los Angeles Landmark, and the IFC Center in New York, earning multiple sellout screenings at all three locations. That includes a Cinerama Dome screening where Joon-Ho appeared for a post-screening Q&A. The film also set a new record for best opening weekend ever at the IFC Center, breaking the mark set in 2014 by Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood.”

Boasting a 99% Rotten Tomatoes score, “Parasite” follows a poor Korean family who cons their way into jobs for an affluent architect’s family while keeping their relation to each other secret from their new employers. Their deception allows the family a taste of the good life, but an unexpected twist leads to a bloody clash between the haves and the have-nots.

NEON will expand “Parasite” to 25-30 screens next weekend, opening in additional screens in L.A. and New York while opening in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Also Read: Bong Joon-Ho's Palme d'Or Winner 'Parasite' Gets Sinister First Trailer (Video)

Elsewhere, Sony Pictures Classics’ “Pain and Glory” expanded to those six cities in its second weekend in theaters and earned a solid $289,147 from 23 screens for an average of $12,572 and a total of $574,571. Roadside Attractions’ “Judy” added $3.25 million from 1,627 screens, giving it a total of just under $15 million after three weekends.

Greenwich Entertainment’s “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” passed $3 million in its sixth weekend after grossing $262,000 from 168 screens, while Amazon Studios’ “Brittany Runs A Marathon” will pass the $7 million mark after its eighth week in theaters after grossing $66,679 this weekend. Finally, Roadside’s “The Peanut Butter Falcon” will cross the $20 million mark in its ninth week in theaters after grossing $278,567 this week.

Read original story ‘Parasite’ Sets Foreign Language Record at Indie Box Office At TheWrap