‘Gook’ Robust In L.A.; ‘Ingrid Goes West’ Solid In Expansion – Specialty Box Office

The Los Angeles bow of Gook from Samuel Goldwyn Films had the best per theater average among the weekend’s slew of new Specialty films. The Sundance fest title, directed by second-time feature director Justin Chon, grossed a combined $31K from two locations. Amazon Studios/IFC Films’ Crown Heights opened in three theaters to a decent $28K. Coming in with lower opening PTAs were Fox Searchlight’s Patti Cake$, which had an estimated $66K in 14 theaters as well as FilmRise’s Marjorie Prime with Lois Smith, Jon Hamm and Geena Davis at $24K in six locations. Well Go USA opened The Adventures in 17 theaters, taking $65K and Gravitas Ventures’ Dave Made a Maze went just over a $1K PTA in its debut in 13 locations. Second weekend holdovers Ingrid Goes West from Neon and A24’s Good Time remained solid in their second frames with expansions, grossing $265K and $173K respectively. TWC’s Wind River hit the top 10, grossing $3M going into nearly 700 runs. An Inconvenient Sequel is now the second highest-grossing doc at nearly $3M, and The Orchard’s The Hero with Sam Elliott crossed $4M in its eleventh weekend of release.

Gook directed by and starring Twilight’s Justin Chon along with Curtiss Cook, Jr, David So and Simone Baker opened at Arclight Hollywood and Regal’s LA Live Friday, easily capturing the best per theater average in an overall mixed weekend for newcomers. Set agains the backdrop of the 1992 L.A. riots, the Sundance Audience Award-winner grossed $31,100, averaging $15,550.

Asian American audiences were the title’s biggest draw, according to Goldwyn, but the company said Sunday the film also brought out the art house crowd buoyed by critical reaction.

“We’re really excited by it,” said Peter Goldwyn Sunday morning. “It’s not only been a movie for an audience that hasn’t had a lot of [representation] in the marketplace, but the art house came out in droves as well since there’s been great critical reaction. Given what has happened in the past week, it’s timely in that it addresses aggression between all races. But it’s not just a political statement. The film is very entertaining and has a lot of heart and soul.”

Goldwyn said the company had screened the film “a lot” ahead of its initial roll-out Friday and tapped various groups including “Asian American influencers.” The company will expand Gook to additional locations around the Los Angeles area next weekend, while also opening to about a dozen top markets including New York.

Amazon Studios/IFC Films’ Crown Heights by Matt Ruskin opened in three theaters, with the second-highest PTA among the slate of new releases. Featuring Lakeith Stanfield, Nnamdi Asomugha and Natalie Paul, the film, based on a true story about a teen gunned down in the streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn, grossed $27,552, averaging $9,184. IFC Films said Sunday the title will open in L.A. and the New York suburbs next weekend, ahead of going to the top markets September 1.

Fox Searchlight’s Sundance pick-up Patti Cake$ had the highest absolute gross among the new specialties this weekend at $66K, though it played more locations than nearly all save Well Go USA’s The Adventures ($65K in 17 theaters). Patti Cake$ gross averaged $4,714 among its 14 showings Friday to Sunday. The coming-of-age story set in Jersey about an unlikely rapper was a high-profile acquisition out of Sundance, which Deadline reported at the time was in the $10M range. The company said Sunday it is expecting audience support to propel the feature as it heads into additional markets in the coming weeks.

“…The hope is that good word of mouth can generate some momentum in the other cities we opened and for the new markets we are planning on August 25 and August 30. If any film can generate good word of mouth, it’s Patti Cake$.”

Searchlight will take the film to ten new markets to between 60 – 70 theaters across North America by August 25. Patti Cake$ will be in between 300 – 400 locations Labor Day weekend.

FilmRise opened Marjorie Prime with six runs Friday. Starring Lois Smith, Jon Hamm and Geena Davis, the film took in $24K, averaging $4K. Directed by Michael Almereyda, the film is an awards hopeful, especially for 86 year-old Smith, who worked double time during the shoot, while also doing rehearsals for the stage version of Marjorie Prime in Manhattan. A national roll-out will follow in the coming weeks.

Neon’s Ingrid Goes West held well in its second frame with added runs. Directed by Matt Spicer and starring Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, the film grossed $265,567 in 26 locations, averaging $10,214. It had the top PTA among last weekend’s newcomers, grossing $141,216 in three theaters, averaging $47,072, one of the best of the year. Its two-week cume is $438,685.

On its heels was A24’s Good Time by Josh and Benny Safdie and starring Robert Pattinson. Good Time played an additional 16 runs in its second frame, grossing just over $173K in twenty theaters, averaging $8,652. In its debut, Good Time grossed $137,625 in four locations, averaging $34,406. A24 said the film, “continues to generate excellent reviews, buzz and word of mouth with sell outs across multiple markets this weekend.” The title’s cume is now $349K.

Well Go USA’s Korean drama A Taxi Driver remained in 41 locations in its second weekend. The title grossed $266K, averaging $6,488, down just under 20% from last weekend’s $8,089 PTA. It has cumed $842,550.

The Only Living Boy in New York jumped to 66 runs from its initial 15 in its second frame. The film starring Callum Turner, Jeff Bridges, Kate Beckinsale, Pierce Brosnan, Cynthia Nixon grossed $84,910, averaging $1,286. The romantic-drama from Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions bowed with $57,619 in 15 locations, averaging $3,841. It has cumed $162K.

IFC Films added 16 theaters for The Trip to Spain in its second weekend. The title grossed $70,889, averaging $3,731. Its opening weekend had a $45,306 gross in three locations, averaging $15,102. The Trip to Spain has cumed $129,889.

The Weinstein Company’s Wind River by Taylor Sheridan placed 10th in the overall box office as of Sunday morning. The film continues to show strength, grossing just over $3M in 694 theaters this weekend, averaging $4,359. Last weekend, Wind River played just 45 locations grossing $642K, averaging $14,268. Wind River has now cumed $4,138,505.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power surpassed Kedi as the year’s second-highest grossing documentary at $2.99M. Magnolia’s I Am Not Your Negro still holds the mantle at $7.1M. An Inconvenient Sequel will have a challenge topping that cume, however. In its fourth weekend in 514 theaters, the title grossed $300K, averaging $584.

SPC added 371 runs for Brigsby Bear in its fourth weekend. In a total of 408 locations, the title grossed $159,133, averaging $390, giving it a cume of $354,900.

And The Orchard’s Sundance debut The Hero with Sam Elliott edged over $4M this weekend. In 39 theaters, it grossed $17,631 in its 11th weekend of release, averaging $452. The company touted its milestone Sunday.

“The Hero has proven to be a slow-burn, word of mouth success this Summer, anchored by an Awards-caliber performance by the legendary Sam Elliott,” noted Richard Matson, the company’s VP, Theatrical Distribution on Sunday. “We’re especially proud of the film as its box office currently represents the 3rd highest gross from any Sundance 2017 film released this year as well as one of only a few films ever to cross $4M after an opening weekend PSA of $12k or under. We have been extremely pleased with the film’s theatrical performance and look forward to its ancillary success when The Hero launches digitally in the coming weeks.”

NEW RELEASES

The Adventures (Well Go USA) NEW [17 Theaters] Weekend $65,000, Average $3,824

Crown Heights (Amazon Studios/IFC Films) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $27,552, Average $9,184

Dave Made a Maze (Gravitas Ventures) NEW [13 Theaters] Weekend $13,178, Average $1,014

Gook (Samuel Goldwyn Films) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $31,100, Average $15,550

Marjorie Prime (FilmRise) NEW [6 Theaters] Weekend $24,000, Average $4,000

Patti Cake$ (Fox Searchlight) NEW [14 Theaters] Weekend $66,000, Average $4,714

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

A Taxi Driver (Well Go USA) Week 2 [41 Theaters] Weekend $266,000, Average $6,488, Cume $842,550

Good Time (A24) Week 2 [20 Theaters] Weekend $173,044, Average $8,652, Cume $349,007

Ingrid Goes West (Neon) Week 2 [26 Theaters] Weekend $265,567, Average $10,214, Cume $438,685

The Only Living Boy In New York (Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions) Week 2 [66 Theaters] Weekend $84,910, Average $1,286, Cume $162,033

The Trip to Spain (IFC Films) Week 2 [19 Theaters] Weekend $70,889, Average $3,731, Cume $129,889

HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS

Columbus (Superlative Films/Depth of Field) Week 3 [12 Theaters] Weekend $44,450, Average $3,705, Cume $152,761

Step (Fox Searchlight) Week 3 [306 Theaters] Weekend $205,000, Average $670, Cume $809,253

Wind River (The Weinstein Company) Week 3 [694 Theaters] Weekend $3,025,236, Average $4,359, Cume $4,138,505

Brigsby Bear (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4 [408 Theaters] Weekend $159,133, Average $390, Cume $354,900

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power (Paramount Pictures/Participant Media) Week 4 [514 Theaters] Weekend $300,000, Average $584, Cume $2,994,000

Menashe (A24) Week 4 [86 Theaters] Weekend $230,130, Average $2,676, Cume $715,312

Wolf Warrior 2 (Well Go USA) Week 4 [50 Theaters] Weekend $204,000, Average $4,080, Cume $2,343,307

Landline (Amazon Studios/Magnolia Pictures) Week 5 [60 Theaters] Weekend $43,000, Average $717, Cume $853,874

The Midwife (Music Box Films) Week 5 [37 Theaters] Weekend $34,488, Average $932, Cume $397,886

Lady Macbeth (Roadside Attractions) Week 6 [86 Theaters] Weekend $47,630, Average $554, Cume $1,019,176

City of Ghosts (Amazon Studios/IFC Films/A&E Indie Films) Week 7 [13 Theaters] Weekend $2,080, Average $160, Cume $122,425

A Ghost Story (A24) Week 7 [39 Theaters] Weekend $27,846, Average $714, Cume $1,517,996

The Little Hours (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 8 [39 Theaters] Weekend $33,290, Average $854, Cume $1,509,962

The Big Sick (Amazon Studios/Lionsgate) Week 9 [618 Theaters] Weekend $1,025,000, Average $1,659, Cume $38,090,430

Lost In Paris (Oscilloscope) Week 10 [16 Theaters] Weekend $16,500, Average $1,031, Cume $507,778

Maudie (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 10 [123 Theaters] Weekend $123,140, Average $1,001, Cume $2,952,856

The Hero (The Orchard) Week 11 [39 Theaters] Weekend $17,631, Average $452, Cume $4,000,013

Related stories

'Marjorie Prime' Arrives With Awards Hopes; 'Patti Cake$' Bows - Specialty B.O. Preview

'Ingrid Goes West' Makes Robust Start; 'Good Time' Strong - Specialty Box Office

Taylor Sheridan's 'Wind River' Opens Robust; 'Step' OK - Specialty Box Office

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