It goes without saying that the domestic box office is struggling. That said, it feels that we are trying to find different ways of framing that story every week. At the end of the day, it’s a win to report any numbers at all considering the circumstances — especially for the specialty box office space
Specialty Box Office
As we enter the throes of awards season more and more films are starting to make their qualifying runs in what is expected to be a very different kind of season. For starters, Searchlight Pictures is set to release Chloe Zhao’s buzzy pic of existential wanderlust Nomadland starring Frances McDormand for its virtual qualifying run
As states and cities start new stay-at-home orders — specifically Los Angeles county — it is only expected that box office will continue to struggle. This applies even more to the specialty box office. This weekend we saw a trio of films about iconic figures in cultural history: the Gabriel Range-directed Stardust showed us the early
As we enter the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend during an era when the box office is struggling and more weight is being placed on streamers for new product, there are still titles making theatrical debuts amid the digital film landscape as people recover from their turkey-induced tryptophan haze. It all starts with three films spotlighting
There aren’t any huge surprises in the specialty box office as we enter what is expected to be a very different Thanksgiving holiday week. Normally, this would be the time of year where people would be participating in post-Thanksgiving dinner moviegoing but, as we know, theaters are shuttered. As the spike in COVID cases across
Amazon is set to find the beat with the upcoming Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed which hits select theaters today before moving to Prime Video on December 4. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Darius Marder, who co-wrote the movie with Abraham Marder. Sound of Metal follows punk-metal drummer Ruben (Ahmed) who begins to experience intermittent hearing
It’s no secret that the box office space has been struggling to find life during the pandemic — and it seems to be even more difficult for the specialty box office space. As specialty films try to navigate the space by shifting to PVOD, digital, and virtual openings, some distributors continue to brave the landscape
Neon will bring some passionate romance in Ammonite this weekend. The period pic starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan opened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September where immediately garnered buzz as an Oscar favorite. Written and directed by Francis Lee, is set in the 1840s and follows once-acclaimed paleontologist Mary Anning (Winslet), who works
This weekend, Focus Features will bring the feature adaptation of Let Him Go starring Oscar winner Kevin Costner and Oscar nominee Diane Lane to theaters. Directed and written by Thomas Bezucha, the suspense thriller is based on Larry Watson’s popular 2013 novel of the same name. The story follows retired sheriff George Blackledge (Costner) and his wife
This weekend is Halloween and Focus Features is delivering some scares with the Jacob Chase-directed horror Come Play, which opens in theaters starting today. Come Play is based on Chase’s 2017 short film Larry. The feature version which is dubbed as “a terrifying new vision in horror” follows Oliver (newcomer Azhy Robertson), a lonely young boy
Of the titles debuting in the specialty box office space this weekend, Well Go USA’s Synchronic had a decent showing, opening in 326 theaters to the tune of an estimated $225,070, averaging $690 per theater for its opening weekend. Set in New Orleans, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s sci-fi pic follows two best friends Steve
The specialty box office was fairly quiet this weekend with The Kid Detective being the new theatrical release posting numbers. The Stage 6 Films comedy starring Adam Brody and Sophie Nélisse banked an estimated $135,000 on its opening weekend. The movie debuted in 865 theaters and took in $45,000 on Friday, $57,000 on Saturday and is projected
There is a very good mix of theatrical, digital, VOD and hybrid releases this weekend starting with The Kid Detective from Stage 6 Films starring Adam Brody and Sophie Nélisse. Written and directed by Evan Morgan, the movie is about exactly what the title suggests: a kid detective. Brody plays a once-celebrated kid detective who is
As 101 Studios’ family comedy The War With Grandpa dominated the box office with an estimated $3.6 million in 2,250 theaters, Diane Paragas’ Yellow Rose starring Eva Noblezada, Lea Salonga and Princess Punzalan made its debut at theaters and drive-ins to earn an estimated $150K from 900 locations, bringing its total domestic cume to $170K through Sunday.
Filmmaker Garrett Bradley is known for tackling pressing issues facing the Black community with her work. Her documentary short America painted a portrait of how Black people are represented in American culture while Alone, investigated the impact of mass incarceration on the modern Black family through the eyes of a single mother in New Orleans. The latter
Neon’s Possessor Uncut brought the sci-fi thrills this weekend to select theaters around the country as the specialty box office continues to find signs of life during the pandemic. Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the pic starring Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott played on 320 screens in its debut and earned an estimated $227,500, with
As September comes to a close and October brings in autumnal vibes, the country (and the world for that matter) is focusing on two things: the forthcoming November election and the end of the world. Luckily, in this early edition of this week’s specialty preview, we have something that is relevant to both! After making
The majority of the specialty box office has shifted to virtual debut, streaming and digital-only since theaters have shuttered due to the pandemic, but as physical theaters begin to open their doors, titles have returned to the big screen, slowly pumping life into the long-dormant specialty space. Bleecker Street’s post-WWII thriller The Secrets We Keep opened
As box offices start to test the waters, Roger Michell’s family drama Blackbird starring Susan Sarandon is set to open in theaters and on demand starting today. Known for My Cousin Rachel and Notting Hill, Michell directs a script by Christian Torpe, who wrote the 2014 Danish film, Silent Heart of which the family drama is based. In it,
The origin of the drama Buoyancy can be traced back to when Australian filmmaker Rodd Rathjen came across an article a few years ago about Cambodian workers and their life on a Thai fishing trawler. He became riveted by the unbelievable story and upon more research, he said in a statement: “The scale of modern
As the world seems like it is aflame with a pandemic, divisive rhetoric from an oppressive administration and the unjust killing of Black lives at the hands of police officers, hope seems dim. However, there are voices and role models in the world that are fighting for change and on the frontlines fighting against 45,
After making its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield is ready to hit theaters. Searchlight Pictures is debuting the reimagining of the Charles Dickens’ classic starring Dev Patel in physical theaters (remember those?). To be more specific, the film will open in over 1,350 theaters across
After numerous delays, Well Go USA’s Cut Throat City is finally making its debut — and in theaters. Yes, you heard that right. The RZA-directed crime drama will make its way into select theaters starting today as they slowly start to open their doors across the country. “Well Go is a supporter of the traditional theatrical
You may have heard his name uttered by Kanye West or Migos in songs but Martin Margiela isn’t necessarily a household name when it comes to fashion — but it should be. One of the most elusive designers in the fashion industry, there are barely any photos of him on the internet, but his work
The fight for freedom of the press and against the oppressive political regime in the Philippines takes center stage in Ramona S. Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts, which opens in theaters and in virtual theaters nationwide. As journalists around the world face threats and the term “fake news” is thrown around recklessly by world leaders, A Thousand Cuts puts Filipino
It’s a volatile time in our country. We are divided and there’s an extreme sense of civic unrest. As hopeless as many of us feel, there are heroes on the front lines who are protecting our constitutional freedoms when it comes to abortion rights, immigration rights, LGBTQ rights and voting rights — and those heroes
Amazon Studios brings the story of Marie Curie to the screen with Radioactive starring Oscar-nominated actress Rosamund Pike as the pioneering scientist. Directed by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) and written by Jack Thorne, Radioactive is based on the 2010 graphic novel Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss. The film adaptation follows
Vaclav Marhoul’s adaptation of Jerzy Kosinsky’s novel The Painted Bird has been on quite a journey. The film took more than a decade to be made and it premiered at the 2019 Venice Film Festival where it was honored with the Cinema for UNICEF Award before debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival. The pic was
With its sun-kissed energy and oasis vibes, it’s appropriate that the Max Barbakow-directed comedy Palm Springs be released during the summer. The time-hopping comedy made its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year and drops on Hulu today. The film written by Andy Siara follows carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg), who meets Sarah (Cristin Milioti) a reluctant
John Lewis has always been fighting for civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. He’s been doing it for over 60 years so to say that his narrative is relevant more now than ever is a wild understatement. In the documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble, director Dawn Porter (Trapped, Gideon’s Army) chronicles