11/17/08 - BOX OFFICE REPORT | "Slumdog" Pays Off; And Ohh la-la "Xmas Tale"
by Brian Brooks (November 17, 2008) Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire" cruised on up the iW BOT over the weekend, opening in limited release with a stellar $36,000 average, while Miramax's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" nestled into second place after an expansion in its second weekend in theaters. The French had a good weekend Stateside with the launch of IFC Films' "A Christmas Tale" (Un conte de Noel) which finished in third place on the indieWIRE box office chart, which is ranked on a per screen average. Fellow Gaul roll out, "Tell No One" by Guillaume Canet enjoyed a nice milestone over the weekend, becoming the largest grossing foreign-language title this year in the U.S.   [ read more in Biz ]

11/16/08 - iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Slumdog" Scores Huge Numbers
by Peter Knegt (November 16, 2008) Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" was high atop the iW BOT this weekend, according to initial estimates from Rentrak early this afternoon. Screening in 10 locations, "Millionaire" scored one of the best per-theater-averages of any film this year. Grossing $350,434, its $35,043 average even rivaled "The Dark Knight's whopping $36,283 average last July. It certainly found the best specialty numbers so far this season, beating recent $30,000+ openings from "Changeling," "Noah's Arc: Jumping The Broom" and "Rachel Getting Married." Since opening Wednesday, the Fox Searchlight Oscar hopeful has grossed an impressive $418,131.   [ read more in Biz ]

11/09/08 - iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Pajamas" Leads
by Peter Knegt (November 9, 2008) Miramax's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" led the iW BOT this weekend, according to initial estimates from Rentrak early this afternoon. The holocaust drama, directed by Mark Herman and starring Asa Butterfield, Vera Farmiga and David Thewlis, grossed $255,000 on 17 screens for an impressive $15,000 average. "Pajamas" will expand to 31 screens next weekend, where it will face off against the iW BOT potential of "Slumdog Millionaire."   [ read more in Biz ]

11/03/08 - iW BOT | Sony Classics Trio Help Lead Out Fall Season
by Peter Knegt (November 3, 2008) The unofficial transition from "Fall" to "Holiday" season happens in the film industry over the next few weeks and specialty distribs react by breaking out their big awards guns, from this month's "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Milk," to December's dozen or so options. But a lucky few will bleed business between seasons and it appears Sony Pictures Classics' promising trio of "Rachel Getting Married," "Synecdoche, New York" and "I've Loved You So Long" are good possibilities to be among them. None of them led the iW BOT this Halloween this weekend though, as that honor went to the debut weekend of Bruce Campbell's My Name is Bruce," which grossed $16,432 from its sole showing at New York's Sunshine Cinema.   [ read more in Biz ]

11/02/08 - iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Bruce" Leads, "Lake" Bombs
by Peter Knegt (November 2, 2008) On one New York screen, Bruce Campbell's "My Name is Bruce" led the iW BOT this weekend, according to initial estimates from Rentrak early this afternoon. Independently released through Image Entertainment, the critically reviled film earned a potent $18,777 from its showing at the Sunshine Theater. Directed and starring Campbell, "Bruce" expands over the next two months, with Campbell himself touring to do Q & A's.   [ read more in Biz ]

10/27/08 - iW BOT | "Noah's Arc" Shocks Amid Batch of Strong Openers
by Peter Knegt (October 27, 2008) In a weekend that saw the release of Clint Eastwood's latest and the directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman, not to mention "High School Musical 3," an underdog emerged as arguably the frame's greatest success story. Patrik-Ian Polk's "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom," the first film released through Logo's theatrical distribution arm, grossed an $151,681 on 5 screens for an astounding $30,336 average. Not that "Arc" was the only success story. "Changeling" marked one of Eastwood's highest per-theatre-averages, "Synecdoche, New York" scored $172,194 from just 9 screens, and Tomas Alfredson's "Let The Right One In" looks to become a rare specialty horror hit.  [ read more in Biz ]

10/26/08 - iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Changeling," "Noah's Arc" Among Year's Best Per-Theater-Averages
by Peter Knegt (October 26, 2008) Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" found huge numbers amidst an impressive crowd of weekend openers, according to initial estimates from Rentrak early this afternoon. The Universal release grossed $501,615 from just 15 screens, averaging $33,441. That's a little less than double what Eastwood's last film, 2006's "Letters From Iwo Jima," averaged in its first weekend. Considerably more surprising, though, was the film that fell just behind "Changeling." "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom" is the film adaptation of the Logo series, and the first film release through Logo's film distribution unit.  [ read more in Biz ]

10/20/08 - iW BOT | "Frontrunners" Leads Openers, Madonna Battles Exes
by Peter Knegt (October 20, 2008) Caroline Suh's "Frontrunners" led all limited release newcomers this weekend, grossing $6,888 from its sole run. The Oscilloscope Pictures release topped its nearest freshman competitors, Barry Levinson's "What Just Happened?," which averaged $5,347 from 36 runs, and Madonna's "Filth and Wisdom," which took in $4,597 from its showing at New York's IFC Center. "Fifth"'s average fell short of Madge's soon-to-be-ex-husband Guy Richtie's film. His "RockNRolla" averaged $6,076 from 22 runs in its second weekend. None of those films could beat iW BOT leader "Happy-Go-Lucky," though. In its sophomore frame, Mike Leigh's latest grossed $107,947 from only 9 screens, for an average of nearly $12,000 per screen.  [ read more in Biz ]

10/13/08 - iW BOT | Latest From Ritchie and Leigh See "Lucky" Numbers
by Peter Knegt (October 13, 2008) Two rhythmically titled films from two very different British directors saw promising debuts this weekend. Guy Ritchie's "RockNRolla," from Warner Brothers, grossed $144,701 from 7 screens, while Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" took in $73,867 from 4 screens for Miramax. And while Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married" continued to find many guests in its second weekend, newcomers like Wong Kar-Wai's "Ashes of Time Redux" and Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig's "Nights and Weekends" did not quite fare as well.   [ read more in Biz ]

10/06/08 - iW BOT | Audiences Getting "Married," "Religulous" Sets 2008 Doc High
by Peter Knegt (October 6, 2008) Sony Pictures Classics' "Rachel Getting Married" set a high benchmark for fall's awards season contenders this weekend. The Jonathan Demme-directed drama opened on 9 screens, grossing a stellar $293,369 for an iW BOT topping $32,597 average. On 502 screens, Lionsgate's Bill Maher-Larry Charles collaboration, "Religulous," found the highest doc opening of the year with $3,409,642. Meanwhile, Lance Hammer's independently released "Ballast" opened on a sole NYC screen and grossed a mild $8,518.   [ read more in Biz ]

09/29/08 - iW BOT | "Fireproof" Finds Followers While "Ones" Isn't So Lucky
by Peter Knegt (September 29, 2008) Alex Kendrick's Christian drama "Fireproof" shocked the box office this weekend. On 839 screens, the IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films release grossed $6,804,764, the second-highest (after "Hannah Montana") for any film released under 1,000 screens in 2008. And while Iraq war-themed films have always found the box office a challenge, Neil Burger's "The Lucky Ones" was particularly disastrous, averaging just $431 on 425 screens. On a sole screen at New York's IFC Center, Matt Wolf's "Wild Combination" actually led the iW BOT - which is ranked by per-theater average - grossing an impressive $11,850.   [ read more in Biz ]

09/22/08 - iW BOT | "Duchess" Gives Fall Specialty Season Royal Kick-Off
by Peter Knegt (September 22, 2008) With a scorching $27,204 per-theatre-average, Saul Dibb's "The Duchess" found 2008's second highest specialty average (behind arguable inclusion "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl") and gave the competitive fall season a royal beginning. In 7 locations, the Paramount Vantage release grossed $190,426. A slew of other, lower-profile films also found decent numbers, including a Texas screening of Chris Eska's "August Evening," the debut of Stuart Townsend's "Battle in Seattle" and the second weekend of yoga doc "Enlighten Up!"   [ read more in Biz ]

09/15/08 - iW BOT | "Flow" Finds Followers, "Towelhead" Tops Chart
by Peter Knegt (September 15, 2008) Irena Salina's "Flow," the first film to be released through Oscilloscope Pictures (the distribution leg of Adam Yauch's Oscilloscope Laboratories), debuted to nice numbers this weekend (and caused some heated debates at its screenings). Its $8,305 average wasn't enough to lead the iW BOT though, a crown held by fellow newcomer, Alan Ball's "Towelhead," which averaged $13,206 from its 4 screens for Warner Independent Pictures. Both films played spectacularly in comparison to Fred Ashman's "Proud American," which averaged a pathetic $128 from its surprisingly wide 750 opening screens.   [ read more in Biz ]

09/02/08 - iW BOT | Summer Winners and Losers at the Specialty Box Office
by Peter Knegt (September 2, 2008) The Summer season - at least by the finance-fueled standards of the film industry - is over. While this past final weekend may have been slow for the studios, Indiewood was relatively bustling. Despite "Hamlet 2"'s disastrous expansion, there was lots of hope elsewhere. First Look's "Sukiyaki Western Django," Sony Pictures Classics' "I Served The King of England," and TLA Releasing's "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild" led the iW BOT on a handful (or less) screens each, and a burst of August specialty hits took full advantage of their numbered days. But with Labor Day a memory and TIFF just two days away, lets take a iW BOT detour and reflect back on Indiewood's summer.  [ read more in Biz ]

08/25/08 - iW BOT | Sundance Trio Takes On The Specialty Box Office
by Peter Knegt (August 25, 2008) Three very different Sundance acquisitions found their way into the specialty marketplace this weekend. Two led the iW BOT, which ranks based on per-theater-averages, in small bows. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Katrina doc, "Trouble the Water," grossed $28,606 on 3 screens for Zeitgeist Films," and Azazel Jacobs' "Momma's Man" grossed $11,072 from one engagement in New York for Kino International. The film with the most box office potential of the three, Andrew Fleming's "Hamlet 2," was also the most disappointing, grossing $439,925 on 103 screens. That gave the Focus Features purchase a $4,271 average. Meanwhile, two Penelope Cruz starrers, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy," held up very well in their second and third weekends, respectively.   [ read more in Biz ]

08/18/08 - iW BOT | The Weinsteins Win With Woody and "A Girl" Tops Chart
by Peter Knegt (August 18, 2008) Despite record-breaking audiences for swimmer Michael Phelps's bid for record-breaking Olympic gold medals, the semi-wide release of Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" managed to crack the overall top ten, grossing $3,755,575 in 692 theatres. Though its $5,427 average wasn't enough to claim the top spot on the iW BOT, which is ranked by per-theater averages. Claude Chabrol's "A Girl Cut In Two," playing on a rather incomparable two screens, topped it with a $9,329 average. Both films can take pleasure in the fact that they aren't Mark Pellington's "Henry Poole Is Here," which debuted on 527 screens to the sad tune of just $805,219 or about $1,528 per screen.  [ read more in Biz ]

08/11/08 - iW BOT | It's An Indie August Rush As "Elegy" and "Bottle Shock" Take Off
by Peter Knegt (August 11, 2008) In the past few years, late summer has become a key month for specialty releases, particularly those that skew older or female audiences. Last year saw both Julie Delpy's "2 Days in Paris" and Julian Jarrold's "Becoming Jane" become two of 2008's indie bright spots. Just last weekend, Sony Pictures Classics' "Frozen River" got off to a great start. And this weekend, two more examples can be added to that trend, with Isabel Coixet's "Elegy" and Randall Miller's "Bottle Shock" both opening to great numbers. IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films's "Elegy" grossed a stellar $104,168 from just six screens, while Freestyle Releasing's more aggressive 48 locations for "Bottle" brought in a $277,839 gross.   [ read more in Biz ]

08/04/08 - iW BOT | Solid Opening For "Frozen River" As Sony Classics Hopes For Another Late Summer Hit
by Peter Knegt (August 4, 2008) Six months after receiving the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River" found winning box office numbers in its first weekend of theatrical release. Opening on seven screens in New York and Los Angeles, the Sony Pictures Classics release grossed $73,322 for a per-theater-average of $10,476. The film's patient expansion schedule should hope to follow the promise of two recent films, this weekend's iW BOT leader, Brad Anderson's "Transsiberian," and Guillaume Canet's "Tell No One," which just crossed the $2 million mark. "River" is certainly off to a better start than the rest of the weekend's openers, which included the paltry $337 average Ryuhei Kitamura's "Midnight Meat Train" found on 102 screens.   [ read more in Biz ]

07/28/08 - iW BOT | Sky-High Crowds Make 'Man on Wire' 2008's Top Doc
by Steve Ramos (July 28, 2008) Reports of New York audiences breaking into applause at weekend shows of the debut documentary "Man on Wire," about high-wire artist Philippe Petit and his walk on a wire between the rooftops of the World Trade Center, led to Magnolia Pictures execs cheering chart-topping, weekend box office figures. While the overall domestic box office continued to be robust thanks to strong hold-over business by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' Batman installment "The Dark Knight," art house films only recently sprung to life with five new releases leading the top six spots on the weekend specialty charts. Magnolia Pictures achieved the best debut grosses for a documentary since last summer's Michael Moore healthcare documentary "SiCKO" with "Man on Wire," director James Marsh's documentary about Philippe Petit's notorious high-wire act atop the World Trade Center towers. 'Man on Wire" earned $51,392 for Magnolia Pictures.   [ read more in Biz ]

07/21/08 - iW BOT | Crowds Put Railway Thriller "Transsiberian" On Track as Top Specialty Film
by Steve Ramos (July 21, 2008) [EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is starting a weekly documentary-focused box office entry on its new blog, DocSider. The first edition was posted this evening.] Thanks to record-setting earnings by the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures Batman installment "The Dark Knight," the overall domestic box office enjoyed its all-time best, three-day weekend. But the summer outlook for art house films remained subdued as specialty outfits continue to struggle to launch the season's first cross-over hit; an earnings equal to last summer's Michael Moore healthcare documentary "SiCKO." First Look Studios achieved its second ranking atop the 2008 iWBOT with "Transsiberian," director Brad Anderson's thriller set aboard the famous Russian railway. Starring Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley, "Transsiberian" averaged $17,308 from two debut runs in New York. "Before I Forget," French director and actor Jacques Nolot's drama for Strand Releasing, about an aging gay gigolo, ranked number two with $9,676 in weekend earnings from New York's IFC Center. Rounding out the iWBOT top five, which ranks films by per-screen average, were "Tell No One," French director Guillaume Canet's mystery for Music Box Films; filmmaker Jonathan Levine's '90s nostalgia comedy for Sony Pictures Classics, "The Wackness;" and "Days and Clouds," Italian director Silvio Soldini's estranged spouses drama for Film Movement.   [ read more in Biz ]