Lionsgate thriller Fall will make an estimated $2.5+ million this weekend at 1,548 locations for a PSA of about $1,618. The audience (54% male and 61% over 25, according to PostTrak) was broader than it might have been after a company founded by director Scott Mann swapped dozens of f-words, moving Fall from an R to a PG-13 rating.
The firm, called Flawless, launched last year to specialize in foreign-language “vubbing,” for visual dubbing, which uses artificial intelligence to subtly shift lip and facial movements to match words spoken. But in Fall, its first project, the urgency was around English-language expletives by English-language actors during a stressful high-altitude shoot in the middle of Covid. Costly reshoots weren’t an option, nor really were cuts.
Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner play best friends and expert climbers stranded 2,000 feet up atop a rickety, abandoned TV tower. Mann shot Fall independently. “We ended up with a film we were very excited about, way better than we thought. When we screened it for Lionsgate, they said, ‘We love it. We love the tension and the suspense. But when they counted them up, it was going to be about 35 f-words.”
Most weren’t scripted, they “just came out” during the shoot, he told Deadline in an interview Sunday. “There was nothing really to cut to and we didn’t want to ruin the movie trying to get rid of the language, which was often at the height of an emotional performance.” The actors, at Flawless’ studios, redid the lines with different words (think ‘fricking’ for one) and the firm synched their mouth movements.
Mann said Flawless, which he co-founded with Nick Lynes, is working on three feature film projects.
Fall’s estimated weekend breakdown: $925k Friday (with previews), $888K Saturday; $692K Sunday. It’s no. 10 at the domestic box office. With a reported budget of $3M, an opening in this range will be successful within the studio’s low risk business model.
A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies grossed $3.25+ million in a nationwide expansion on 1,290 screens, up from six. Halina Reijn’s fresh take on the murder mystery/slasher comedy with a young ensemble cast expands to over 2,000 screens next weekend setting up for a long run through the rest of summer and beyond. It opens at no. 8. Breakdown: Friday – $1.3M; Sat. – $1.03; Sun. – $877k.
Roadside Attractions/Vertical Entertainment’s Emily The Criminal is eyeing a $668,990 opening on 473 screens for a $1,414 PSA. Breakdown: Friday – $222,960; Saturday – $254,875; Sunday. $191,155. Word of mouth was strong as the gross rose 15% from Fri. to Sat. Backing out $42K of Thursday previews from Friday, the jump was 40%, which Roadside calls very encouraging.
Strapped by student debt and desperate for income, promising artist Emily (Aubrey Plaza) takes a shady gig buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a charismatic middleman, Youcef (Theo Rossi). They hatch a plan to bring their business to the next level.
Diane Keaton-starring Mack & Rita from Gravitas Ventures/Vertical Entertainment reported $1.095M at 1,930 locations for a PSA of $575. Breakdown: $400k Fri. (including previews – without them it was up Fri-Sat), $370K Sat.; $325K Sun. The audience was 74% women and 69% women over 30.
“We are hopeful that this older female audience, which has till proven reluctant to fully return to seeing movies in a theater, continue to find the film over the coming weeks,” Gravitas said. National spots across broadcast and cable TV on The Bachelorette, Master Chef, Big Brother, America’s Got Talent and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as well as digital/social. Keaton supported the film across Good Morning America, ABC’s Nightline, Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.
Masaaki Yuasa’s animated Japanese rock opera Ino-Oh from GKIDS opened in 350 theaters with an estimated cume of $190,524 and PSA of $544. Breakdown: Fri – $97,062; Sat – $52,723; Sun – $40,739. The Venice and Toronto ’21 selection recently won the top prize for animation at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Bleecker Street is estimating Summering will gross $31,317 on 260 screens for a weekend PSA of $120. Breakdown: Friday – $12,947; Saturday – $10,806; Sunday – $7,564.
Universal’s E.T. The Extra Terrestrial landed on the Imax domestic network for the first time, earning $1.1 million from exclusive re-release on 375 screens, two shows per day.
Specialty holdovers: Also from Bleecker Street, A Love Song, cume of $77,388 on 34 screens.
Oscilloscope’s Claydream, cume of $15,621 on four screens.
Focus Features/Blumhouse film Vengeance, cume of $3.88 million in 431 theaters.
Focus’ Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is in 573 theaters, cume of $8.8 million.
Neon’s Fire Of Love on 54 screens. Cume to date $6815K.
A24’s Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, 276 screens, total cume of $5.3M.
Sony Pictures Classics’ Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song on 113 screens. Cume $647,026.