‘Who Will Write Our History’ Tops Slow Pack of Debuts; ‘Free Solo’ at $13.1M: Specialty Box Office – Update
UPDATED with more numbers and analysis. Who Will Write Our History can claim the highest opening per theater average of 2019 among the specialties, but it has been a slow month. After the current lull, next week’s Oscar nominations and start to Sundance should reinvigorate the specialty sector.
Who Will Write, a documentary released by Abramorama, found an audience this weekend with its $12,719 gross. The portrait of a man who kept an archive of recollections in the Warsaw Ghetto will get access to a much larger audience with an event slate of showings later this month.
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”The film played to sold out 100-seat rooms at the Quad this weekend,” Richard Abramowitz of Abramorama told Deadline, “in spite of the weather and in anticipation of its unprecedented 300-plus screen event screening release in 50 countries and 12 languages to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.”
Beyond the global event, Who Will Write Our History will open in LA on February 1, with bookings secured in other cities.
Annapurna nearly doubled runs for Nicole Kidman starrer Destroyer in its fourth outing. In the three-day, the feature grossed $150,747, averaging $3,015. Despite the added count, the weekend gross is nearly equal to last weekend’s nearly $150K gross in 27 theaters ($5,547 average). It has cumed just under $637K.
Stan & Ollie went from 13 locations last weekend to 84 now. The title had a 29% PTA drop vs. the prior frame, grossing $391,455 for a $4,660 per theater average. The Sony Classics release starring John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan has cumed $789,377.
Amazon Studios added 29 runs for Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War, bringing its count to 39 in its fifth weekend, bringing in over $355K for a solid $9,110 PTA in the four-day. From Friday to Sunday, the title grossed $293,195 ($7,518 average). Cold War has estimated to have cumed an estimated $821,834 for the full holiday weekend.
Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk held its theater count at over a thousand in its sixth weekend, grossing over $1.64M for a $1,616 average (-32%). The Golden Globes winner grossed $2.4M in its previous weekend frame, averaging $2,364. This weekend’s estimate brings Beale Street to more than $10.4M. It is among a handful of films that stand to benefit from a good showing in the Oscar nominations, which will be announced Tuesday morning.
Ben Is Back with Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges crossed $3.5M in its seventh outing. The title by Peter Hedges and released via LD Entertainment/Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate grossed $134,510 in the three day averaging $457.
Focus’ Mary Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie went over $16M over the weekend. The Focus Features title grossed $370K averaging $914.
And her royal brethren The Favourite topped $23M in its two-month-plus cume. Starring Golden Globes winner Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, the Searchlight film grossed $810K from Friday to Sunday. The company is estimating it will go past $23M through the MLK weekend.
NEW RELEASES
An Acceptable Loss (IFC Films) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $5,103
Canal Street (Smith Global Media) NEW [73 Theaters] Weekend $102,792, Average $1,408
The Heiress (Distrib Films) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $11,288, Average $5,644, Cume $14,216
Who Will Write Our History (Abramorama) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $12,719
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Destroyer (Annapurna Pictures) Week 4 [50 Theaters] Weekend $150,747, Average $3,015, Cume $636,831
On The Basis Of Sex (Focus Features/Participant) Week 4 [1,957 Theaters] Weekend $3,900,000; 4-day $4,800,000, Average $1,993; 4-day $2,453, Cume $17,700,000
Stan & Ollie (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4 [84 Theaters] Weekend $391,455, Average $4,660, Cume $789,377
Cold War (Amazon Studios) Week 5 [39 Theaters] Weekend $355,292, Average $9,110, Cume $821,834 (4-day numbers)
Capernaum (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6 [17 Theaters] Weekend $43,278, Average $2,546, Cume $307,221
If Beale Street Could Talk (Annapurna Pictures) Week 6 [1,018 Theaters] Weekend $1,645,507, Average $1,616, Cume $10,461,067
Ben Is Back (LD Entertainment/Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate) Week 7 [294 Theaters] Weekend $134,510, Average $457, Cume $3,509,327
Mary Queen of Scots (Focus Features) Week 7 [405 Theaters] Weekend $370,000, Average $914, Cume $16,046,509
The Favourite (Fox Searchlight) Week 9 [517 Theaters] Weekend $810,000; 4-day: $1,025,000, Average $1,567; 4-day $1,983, Cume $23,014,025
The World Before Your Feet (Greenwich Entertainment) Week 9 [10 Theaters] Weekend $6,900, Average $690, Cume $180,023
Green Book (Universal) Week 10 [912 Theaters] Weekend $2,263,000, Average $2,481, Cume $41,974,991
Free Solo (National Geographic Documentary Film/Greenwich Entertainment) Week 17 [17 Theaters] Weekend $264,400, Average $2,698, Cume $13,124,939
The Wife (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 23 [115 Theaters] Weekend $88,718, Average $741, Cume $8,503,929
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