‘Anora’ Rocks Best Per Screen Opening Of 2024 As Neon Calls Out Critical & Audience Trajectory Similar To ‘Parasite’ – Specialty Box Office
Great indie numbers this weekend as Anora turned out highest per-screen-average of 2024 at $90k on six screens for a $540k gross. We Live In Time, the best platform expansion of the year, grossed $4.2 million on 956 screens in week 2 for a $4.5 million cume. Newcomers Union and The Line fared well on one screen each, as did Goodrich on about 1,000.
“We’re incredibly excited about this weekend’s record-breaking results and the fantastic critical and audience response to Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning film Anora. Baker is a singular director who truly understands the power of the theatrical experience and how important it is for films to be seen in the theater,” Neon said. “With Mikey Madison in her unparalleled performance as Anora, and the film’s strong awards potential, there’s no doubt it will continue to captivate a broad audience as we move into the fall.”
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The highest PSA of the year is now that $90k from Lincoln Center, Angelika and Alamo Brooklyn in NY, and, in LA, the Grove, Century City and Burbank in LA. It was no. 1 at all locations. Kinds Of Kindness at $75k per screen when it opened in June was the previous 2024 PSA record holder, with Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone fresh off the buzz and box office of Poor Things.
Anora, which sits at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, also hit the second highest PSA post-pandemic behind only Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. It is in the top 5 PSAs of the last five years alongside Neon’s Palme d’Or and Oscar Best Picture-winner Parasite as well as Asteroid City, Uncut Gems and The Favourite.
Critical and audience acclaim has put the film on the same trajectory Parasite, Neon says.
The film by Bong Joon-ho was a major arthouse crossover, grossing $53 million domestic.
Written and directed by Sean Baker, produced by Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker, the film stars Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan in a comedic variation on a modern-day Cinderella story.
Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) is Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire. However, when Vanya’s parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.
Neon nabbed North American rights to Anora ahead of its Cannes debut in late 2023, cementing its fifth consecutive Palme d’Or win (after Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness and Anatomy Of A Fall ).
It went on to play TIFF and the New York Film Festival. This is Sean Baker’s eight film as writer-director with previously acclaimed titles including Red Rocket (2021), The Florida Project (2017), and Tangerine (2015).
Anora continues its theatrical expansion over the next few weeks in the lead up to a wide release in November.
Moving to A24’s We Live In Time — a major plug for romance with the best platform expansion of the year for the love story by John Crowley starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. It broke into the top 5 on just 985 screens with an impressive $4.2 million weekend, a $4.5 million gross and the no. 5 spots at the domestic box office.
RT Certified Fresh with critics and with an audience score of 90, exits show young women showing up in droves (85% under 35 and 70% female) with word-of-mouth continuing through the roof for stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.
Opened in limited release last week and will go wide next with the latest numbers setting it up for a nice run.
Goodrich starring Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis clocked in with $650.2k on just over 1,000 screens. Directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer, distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, Goodrich has great exit polls and audience scores ( 91%). Michael Keaton’s appearance on Saturday Night Live last night may give the film an uptick today and into the weekdays. Keaton is Andy Goodrich, whose life is upended when his wife (Laura Benanti) and mother of their nine-year-old twins enters a 90-day rehab program, leaving him on his own with their young kids. Thrust into the world of modern parenthood, Goodrich leans on his daughter from his first marriage, Grace (Kunis), as he ultimately evolves into the father Grace never had.
Bleecker Street is estimating comedy Rumors will gross $314.1k for opening weekend on 630 screens. Directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson and starring Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Charles Dance, it world premiered at Cannes and screened at TIFF, the New York Film Festival, and BFI London. Follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.
Road Attractions is estimating $275.6k for Exhibiting Forgiveness on 774. The feature directorialk debut of painter Titus Kaphar stars André Holland, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, John Earl Jelks and Andra Day. Holland plays an artist whose path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father.
In limited release: Union, the Sundance Special Jury Prize Winning documentary, which was recently selected to the prestigious DOC NYC Shortlist, opened exclusively in New York this weekend and is expected to gross $10k at the IFC Center with multiple sold out screenings in just a 114-seat theater. A leading awards contender by Brett Story and Stephen Maing, self-distributed by Level Ground Productions, will add over 15 markets this coming Tuesday via special engagements along with traditional openings in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Austin on October 25. Follows a group of ordinary workers who, in 2022, made history by successfully winning their election to become the very first unionized Amazon workplace in the U.S. — heralded as the most important win for labor since the 1930s.
Utopia opened the Tribeca-lauded The Line exclusively at Regal Union Square this weekend in New York with an estimated $8.5K. Known for a commitment to supporting emerging filmmakers, Utopia continues its mission with Ethan Berger’s feature debut that explores the dark side of college fraternities. Following a Tuesday premiere with talent including Alex Wolff, Halle Bailey, Lewis Pullman, and Austin Abrams in attendance, the film was propelled by Utopia’s social media and dedicated cast/crew support such as Alex Wolff’s high-profile appearances on Drew Barrymore, Good Morning America and other major outlets during his tour with Billie Eilish.
The Line expands to over 25 markets next week, including the Landmark Sunset in LA. Utopia continues to announce new dates and events weekly on social media in addition to the
Notable holdovers: Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night from Sony saw an estimated $1.8 million on 2,336 screens in week 4 for a cume of $7.6 million at a no. 9 spot at the box office.
In its fifth weekend, Mubi’s release of Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance continued hold well as it crossed $13 million with an estimated weekend gross of $878.6k for the weekend on 548 screens for a per-screen and a new cume pushing $13.4 million.
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