‘Captain Fantastic’ Has Fab Debut; Bollywood’s ‘Sultan’ Rules: Specialty Box Office

               

Captain Fantastic burst out over the weekend in four New York and Los Angeles theaters grossing $98,451, placing it fifth among titles to open several locations in 2016. The pic ranked atop a fairly crowded pack of newcomers, when looking at per theater averages, though other titles showed zest. Sony Classics opened Japanese drama Our Little Sister, taking in $27K in three theaters, and Well Go USA’s Hong Kong actioner Cold War II, which was the top film at the international box office, made its debut with nearly two dozen runs grossing $165,500.
               

             The weekend’s top specialty earner, playing in 283 theaters, was Bollywood’s Sultan, which grossed over $2.2M. Docs Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You from Music Box Films grossed $20K in two New York locations, while Magnolia and Participant’s Zero Days from Oscar winner Alex Gibney had a $54K weekend in 18 locations in a day-and-date release. In its third week, The Orchard’sHunt For The Wilderpeople played to robust crowds, grossing more than $413K. And in its second month, SPC’s Maggie’s Plan is closing in on $3M, while Amazon and Roadside Attractions’ Love & Friendship is nearly at $13M.
              Matt Ross’ second feature directorial effore Captain Fantastic had a robust bow with the weekend’s top PTA among all reporting releases as of Sunday morning. Starring Viggo Mortensen, the pic grossed $98,451 for a $24,613 average. That places it fifth for the year among all films to open in under a half-dozen theaters after A24’s The Lobster ($190,252 in 4 theaters, $47,563 average), Warner Bros’ Midnight Special($190,012 in five theaters, $38K average), Amazon/Roadside Attractions’ Love & Friendship ($133,513 in 4 theaters, $33,378 average) and Sony Classics’ Miles Ahead($114,530 in 4 theaters, $28,633 average).

“It’s a really good weekend, and there are a lot of things that bode well for Captain Fantastic’s future,” said Bleecker Street president of Distribution Jack Foley. “At Lincoln Square we were No. 3 after Pets and Tarzan, so that shows it has a great competitive edge. There were a lot of sellouts on both coasts.”

Bleecker Street targeted both older and younger audiences for Captain Fantastic with the Sunshine and Arclight on one end and Landmark and Lincoln Square on the other. Foley noted that the feature played well with both younger and older demos in both New York and L.A., which it sees as carrying the title into a solid expansion. “It shows Captain Fantastic has a good future with a broader group, so there’s greater potential box office at play here,” he said.

Bleecker Street will add 11 new markets next week in addition to small expansions in the L.A. and New York areas, bringing the title to about 34 theaters.

Yah Raj Films’ Sultan was the weekend’s top limited release bow and the biggest Bollywood opening in North America for 2016. In 283 theaters, the feature starring Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma and Randeep Hooda grossed $2,216,475, averaging $7,832. Before Sultan, feature Fan In April was the highest opener for a Bollywood film in North America this year at $1.35 million. This weekend’s gross placed Sultantenth in the overall box office. It should be noted that the nine other titles making up the top 10 played in thousands of theaters. Sony’s The Swallows had the second fewest locations among the group, playing in 2,406 theaters. Nancy Tartaglioneprovides more insight on the international box office picture for Sultan.

     

Sony Classics opened Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Our Little Sister in a trio of runs. The Cannes 2015 feature grossed $27,070, averaging $9,030. Our Little Sister’s opening average is above Kore-eda’s previous U.S. release, Like Father, Like Son (2014) which grossed $16,044 in two theaters, for an $8,022 PTA. The film went on to cume $334,616 in theaters. “It will stand the test of time, and will work over a long period,” said SPC co-president Michael Barker this week. “It’s a movie that people will want to own at some point.” SPC will add major cities including San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Chicago next week, followed by eight to 10 additional markets the following week. It will continue to slowly expand throughout the summer.

Well Go USA opened Hong Kong action pic Cold War II in 22 theaters with a mostly solid start. The feature starring Aaron Kwok, Eddie Peng and Chow Yun-Fat grossed $165,500, averaging $7,523. Well Go USA said it will expand to additional markets next weekend.

Music Box Films’ Sundance pick-up Norman Lear: Just Another Version of Youopened in two New York City locations Friday. The documentary by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady about the television trailblazer grossed $20K at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center, averaging $10K. Music Box said Sunday that the film was the “top-grossing film at both its NYC locations this weekend. Norman Lear will next head to the Nuart in Los Angeles Friday ahead of expanding to the top 10 markets in the coming weeks.

   

Magnolia and Participant released its non-fiction featureZero Days in 18 theaters in a day-and-date release. The film grossed $54K, averaging $3K in mostly exclusive runs in 15 markets. Magnolia noted that Zero Days is currently No. 16 on the iTunes store, which is “very good for a doc.” Magnolia released Gibney’s previous, Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine last year also in a day-and-date release in 68 theaters, grossing over $140K its first weekend, averaging just over $2K. The feature went on to cume $494,506 in theaters.

Music Box Films added 31 runs for The Innocents in its second weekend. The film grossed $136,500, averaging $4,015, a 62% drop from its opening $10,500 average from a $31,500 gross in three theaters last week. Music Box said the feature had a “promising 110% increase in Saturday’s grow over Friday, also noting that it had only a 5% drop in Saturday’s gross over the previous week. The company will double its screen count and add markets again next Friday including engagements in Boston, Denver, Dallas and Atlanta.

The Orchard added five runs for doc Life, Animated in its second frame. In eight theaters, the film grossed $21,569, averaging $2,696. Life, Animated debuted last week in three theaters, grossing $26,547 ($8,849 average).

Lionsgate/Roadside added 26 theaters for Our Kind Of Traitor in its follow-up run. The feature grossed nearly $732K, averaging $1,834. Last weekend, Traitor grossed $984,698 in its initial 373 locations, averaging $2,640. The film’s two-week cume is now over $2.24 million.

The Orchard’s Hunt For The Wilderpeople did solid business in its third weekend, playing 49 additional runs over the previous frame. Directed by New Zealander Taika Waititi,Hunt grossed $413,250 in 72 theaters, averaging $5,740. The company said word of mouth propelled the title to 80% growth Friday to Saturday and it was No. 1 in half of its theaters and in the top 3 in 75% of its locations. Said The Orchard on  Sunday: “Audiences across North America continue to fall in love with Taika Waititi’s comic adventure with a heart, echoing the consistent sentiment his film is a return to the classic, feel-good movies of the ’80s and ‘90s that appealed so broadly.” Hunt For the Wilderpeople will continue its North American expansion throughout July.

In its eighth weekend, SPC’s Maggie’s Plan is nearly at $3M. The title grossed $180,724 in 103 theaters Friday to Sunday, averaging $1,755. And Roadside Attractions/Amazon’s Love & Friendship will cross $13M this coming week. In its ninth frame, the title grossed $326,240 in 161 theaters, averaging $2,026.

NEW RELEASES

Captain Fantastic (Bleecker Street) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $98,451, Average $24,613

Cold War 2 (Well Go USA) NEW [22 Theaters] Weekend $165,500, Average $7,523

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (Music Box Films) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $20K, Average $10K

Our Little Sister (Sony Pictures Classics) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $27,070, Average $9,030

Sultan (Yash Raj Films) NEW [283 Theaters] Weekend $2,216,475, Average $7,832, Cume $3,228,560 (Weds. Open)

Zero Days (Magnolia Pictures/Participant Media) NEW [18 Theaters] Weekend $54K, Average $3K

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

The Innocents (Music Box Films) Week 2 [34 Theaters] Weekend $136,500, Average $4,015, Cume $188,665

Life, Animated (The Orchard) Week 2 [8 Theaters] Weekend $21,569, Average $2,696, Cume $53,189

Our Kind Of Traitor (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) Week 2 [399 Theaters] Weekend $731,916, Average $1,834, Cume $2,245,052

HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS

Les Cowboys (Cohen Media Group) Week 3 [10 Theaters] Weekend $8,308, Average $831, Cume $65,320

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3 [15 Theaters] Weekend $35,662, Average $2,377, Cume $116,651

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (The Orchard) Week 3 [72 Theaters] Weekend $413,250, Average $5,740, Cume $754,889

Swiss Army Man (A24) Week 3 [600 Theaters] Weekend $690,600, Average $1,151, Cume $3,129,801

Wiener-Dog (IFC Films) Week 3 [64 Theaters] Weekend $105,600, Average $1,650, Cume $288,035

Genius (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) Week 5 [77 Theaters] Weekend $80,855, Average $1,050, Cume $1,210,168

The Music Of Strangers (The Orchard) Week 5 [77 Theaters] Weekend $144,393, Average $1,875, Cume $566,633

The Fits (Oscilloscope) Week 6 [8 Theaters] Weekend $8,500, Average $1,063, Cume $124,292

The Witness (FilmRise Releasing) Week 6 [7 Theaters] Weekend $6,800, Average $971, Cume $126,194

Maggie’s Plan (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 8 [103 Theaters] Weekend $180,724, Average $1,755, Cume $2,945,658

Weiner (Sundance Selects) Week 8 [50 Theaters] Weekend $61,800, Average $1,236, Cume $1,492,166

The Lobster (A24) Week 9 [122 Theaters] Weekend $309,172, Average $2,534, Cume $8,429,584

Love & Friendship Week 9 (Roadside Attractions/Amazon) [161 Theaters] Weekend $326,240, Average $2,026, Cume $12,985,157

Dark Horse (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 10 [52 Theaters] Weekend $61,029, Average $1,174, Cume $750,924

The Man Who Knew Infinity (IFC Films) Week 11 [42 Theaters] Weekend $50,400, Average $1,200, Cume $3,772,168