Some Super New Releases on Per Theater Chart
September 28, 2010
There were three films that topped $10,000 on the per theater chart, including one that topped $30,000. That film was Waiting for Superman, which pulled in an average of $34,758 in four theaters. However, its prospects for a wide expansion are limited, since it is a documentary. Second place went to You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger with and average of $26,684 in six theaters, but it likely has a better chance at significant expansion. The final $10,000 film was Enter the Void with an average of $14,550 in three theaters.
There were several other new limited releases that opened over the weekend, and a couple of them did very well. Buried earned just over $100,000 in 11 theaters for an average of $9,115, which makes a wide release more likely. There was a chance it would have opened with less than half that before sputtering out. Howl opened with $50,000 in six theaters for an average of $8,531. Like Dandelion Dust was not as fortunate opening with an average of $3,118 in 25 theaters. It was a case of too many theaters and not enough buzz, but with great reviews, it could find an audience on the home market. The Virginity Hit was the biggest limited release of the week opening with just over $300,000. Unfortunately, that was in 700 theaters giving the film an average of just $431. With terrible reviews, the only thing that will save this film is an Unrated DVD / Blu-ray. A Mother's Courage was right behind with an average of just $411 in two theaters.
The only limited release to reach a major milestone during the past weekend was Mao's Last Dancer, which reached $3 million, and that's only if you include its previous run in Canada. With a few early Awards Season hopefuls already in theaters, and more opening every weekend, we shoul see a lot more milestones being reached in the coming weeks.
Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Theater Averages, Mao's Last Dancer, Like Dandelion Dust, Buried, Waiting for Superman, A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism, Howl, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Enter the Void, The Virginity Hit