‘Best Democracy’ Rules, ‘Queen Of Katwe’ Bows: Specialty Box Office
Just in time for the debate, Cinema Libre opened The Best Democracy Money Can Buy in an exclusive engagement over the weekend, grossing $10K. Also in a single location, Long Shot Factory bowed doc Generation Startup taking in over $6K. Disney doesn’t usually hit this column, but the studio went for limited runs for Queen of Katwe by Mira Nair, grossing $305K. Goat, the college hazing drama starring Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer from Film Arcade/Paramount, opened in 20 theaters to $20K. Broad Green opened Australian hit The Dressmaker with Kate Winslet in a few dozen locations grossing over $180K. Abramorama added runs for The Beatles: Eight Days a Week in its second frame, taking in $369,554 from its traditional engagements. The title also had one night showings this week. And Lionsgate/Pantelion’s No Manches Frida and The Film Arcade’s Don’t Think Twice crossed box office watermarks this weekend.
Cinema Libre opened documentary Best Democracy Money Can Buy in New York over the weekend, and technically edged out the best per theater average of the weekend ahead of The Magnificent Seven, so it has some bragging rights: The feature directed by Greg Palast and David Ambrose grossed $10K. The company said it had to move quickly for the title’s release, and gave kudos to the filmmaker for its turnout.
“Once we finalized a partnership with Greg Palast and his team, we had less than two weeks to mount a full theatrical campaign,” noted Richard Castro, VP, Distribution, Cinema Libre Studio Sunday. “Thanks to Greg’s network of activists, the movie will make over $10k this weekend with several sold out shows.”
Palast was joined Saturday night in New York City by actress Rosario Dawson and the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Chris Hedges. The film opens next week at Laemmle NOHO 7 in Los Angeles and will widen to at least 3 to 4 other cities while at the same time rolling out a Gathr theatrical-on-demand program.
Broad Green opened Amazon’s Australian-produced The Dressmaker in 36 theaters Friday. Starring Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, the feature grossed $180,522, averaging $5,014. The film won a number of awards at home in Australia and packed quite a box office punch, grossing over $14.4 million during its release there earlier this year. The company said Sunday the film is “playing well” to an upscale suburban audience, which is its target. It will continue to roll out in the coming weeks.
Long Shot bowed doc Generation Startup at IFC Center in New York Friday. The feature grossed $6,032 Friday to Sunday. Generation Startup looks at six recent college graduates who put “everything on the line” to build startups in Detroit. The film will open in Los Angeles next weekend and in Detroit on October 7.
Disney bowed sports bio Queen of Katwe by Indian-born director Mir Nair with limited runs Friday. In 52 theaters, the feature grossed $305K, averaging $5,865. The studio will take the title wide this coming week.
Also opening were Oscilloscope’s Girl Asleep and Monument Releasing’s Chronic. Girl Asleep grossed $2,700 in a single location, and Chronic grossed $2,900. Chronic will open Laemmle’s Music Hall in L.A. as well as three other cities next week. Girl Asleep will open New York next and will be in the top 25 markets in October.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week added 66 runs in its second weekend. The Ron Howard documentary also played 25 one-night engagements. From its traditional runs, the feature grossed $369,554, averaging $2,447. Beatles bowed with 85 locations last week, grossing $615,632 ($7,243 average) last week. Its cume including one-night engagements is now over $1.46M.
PBS added two runs for Command and Control in its second frame. It grossed $10,426 from three runs, averaging $3,475 giving it a two week cume of just under $19K. Area 23a added a location for Is That a Gun In Your Pocket?, grossing $7,815 ($2,605 average). It has cumed just under $22K.
The Orchard reported digital numbers for Miss Stevens, which it opened last week. The company estimated it took in $45K on-demand, certainly well above the feature’s theatrical $3,881 cume. The Orchard also gave digital numbers for Life, Animated, which is also in its 13th week of theatrical release. On-demand, it grossed over $21K, while its theatrical run has cumed $242,757.
Lionsgate/Panelion’s No Mances Frida continues to lure crowds in its fourth weekend. In 416 theaters, the Spanish-language feature grossed $740K, averaging $1,779. The weekend gross sailed across the $10M mark, landing it at $10,305,221 as of Sunday.
Two other Specialty titles also crossed box office thresholds over the weekend. The Film Arcade’s comedy Don’t Think Twice went just over $4M in its 10th weekend. In 95 theaters, the film grossed $132,431, averaging $1,394.
The Orchard’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople by Taika Waititi went over $5M in its 14th weekend. The feature grossed $78,100 in 81 locations, averaging $964.
Cinema Libre’s doc Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe is still playing, now in its 25th weekend. In a single location, it grossed $140, augmented with $347 from 8 Gathr on-demand screenings. The film famously was pulled from the Tribeca Film Festival last spring. It has a combined on-demand and traditional theatrical cume of over $1.15M.
For Deadline’s report on overall domestic grosses, look here.
NEW RELEASES
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (Cinema Libre) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $10K
Chronic (Monument Releasing) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $1,912
The Dressmaker (Broad Green Pictures) NEW [36 Theaters] Weekend $180,522, Average $5,014
Generation Startup (Long Shot Factory) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $6,032
Girl Asleep (Oscilloscope) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $2,700
Goat (Film Arcade/Paramount) NEW [20 Theaters] Weekend $23,020, Average $1,151
Queen of Katwe (Disney) NEW [52 Theaters] Weekend $305K, Average $5,865
RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (Abramorama) Week 2 [25 One Night Engagements; 151 Traditional Engagements] Weekend (One Night): $28,012, Average $1,120; (Traditional): $369,554, Average $2,447; Cume $1,462,504
Cock and Bull (China Lion) Week 2 [6 Theaters] Weekend $17,500, Average $2,916, Cume $68,412
Command and Control (The American Experience/PBS Films) Week 2 [3 Theater] Weekend $10,426, Average $3,475, Cume $18,976
Is That A Gun In Your Pocket? (Area 23a) Week 2 [3 Theaters] Weekend $7,814, Average $2,605, Cume $21,978
Miss Stevens (The Orchard) Week 2 [1 Theaters] Weekend $73, Cume $3,881; Digital gross: $45,021
HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS
Demon (The Orchard) Week 3 [10 Theaters] Weekend $9,022, Average $902, Cume $56,764
Kicks (Focus World) Week 3 [15 Theaters] Weekend $12K, Average $800, Cume $146,292
Max Rose (Paladin) Week 4 [29 Theaters] Weekend $17,485, Average $603, Cume $56,365
No Manches Frida (Lionsgate/Pantelion) Week 4 [416 Theaters] Weekend $740K, Average $1,779, Cume $10,305,221
White Girl (FilmRise) Week 4 [12 Theaters] Weekend $20K, Average $1,666, Cume $153,041
The Hollars (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 5 [298 Theaters] Weekend $273,456, Average $918, Cume $729,600
Howards End (Cohen Media Group) Week 5 (re-release) [3 Theaters] Weekend $4,378, Average $1,459, Cume $158,105
Southside With You (Roadside Attractions/Miramax) Week 5 [43 Theaters] Weekend $25,500, Average $593, Cume $6,249,313
The People vs. Fritz Bauer (Cohen Media Group) Week 6 [19 Theaters] Weekend $10,502, Average $553, Cume $279,311
A Tale of Love and Darkness (Focus World) Week 6 [17 Theaters] Weekend $17K, Average $1K, Cume $555,347
Hell Or High Water (CBS Films/Lionsgate) Week 7 [1,128 Theaters] Weekend $1.1M, Average $975, Cume $24,840,427
Indignation (Roadside Attractions) Week 9 [24 Theaters] Weekend $25,590, Average $1,044, Cume $3,311,419
Don’t Think Twice (The Film Arcade) Week 10 [95 Theaters] Weekend $132,431, Average $1,394, Cume $4,002,437
Café Society (Amazon/Lionsgate) Week 11 [48 Theaters] Weekend $57K, Average $1,188, Cume $10,992,547
Life, Animated (The Orchard) Week 13 [13 Theaters] Weekend $965, Average $193, Cume $242,757; Digital estimate: $21,028
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (The Orchard) Week 14 [81 Theaters] Weekend $78,100, Average $964, Cume $5,012,968; Digital $355,210
The Music Of Strangers (The Orchard) Week 16 [10 Theaters] Weekend $2,503, Average $250, Cume $1.160.853
Related stories
'Queen Of Katwe' Review: Disney Family Movie Makes All The Right Moves
'Magnificent Seven' Guns For No. 1, But Will Tracking Cut It Off At The Pass? - B.O. Preview
'The Beatles' A Chart-Topper In Crowded Weekend: Specialty Box Office
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
