Everett Collection
Asteroid City caused a massive shock in the art house and specialty worlds this weekend when the Wes Anderson film presented by Focus Features opened with an estimated three-day gross of $790,000 and an estimated $890,000 for the four- day weekend broke records in just six cinemas.
That’s an average of $132,211 per theater for the three days and $148,901 for the four days, making it the biggest PTA of the year and since Covid and for a few years before. This helper can get the specialty checkout going like no other. His Grand Budapest Hotel opened in 2014 for $800,000 on four screens, which translates to a $200,000 PSA — and is still considered the absolute top hotel.
Asteroid City Milestones According to Focus:
– The best average per theater since December 2016, when La La Land opened at $176,220 per theater
-The all-time best box office average for a film that opened in six locations (the previous record was “American Hustle” at $123,509)
-The all-time best box office average for a Focus Features film, beating Wes Anderson’s 2012 Moonrise Kingdom ($130,700 from 4 theaters)
-Best opening weekend ever at the Angelika Theater
-Best opening weekend ever at the Sunset Theater
Landmark reopened the latter venue this weekend with a full takeover of Asteroid City, including a full pop-up experience that replicates the set and plays the film across all five screens. This is part of a major marketing offensive by Focus, which will expand it to around 1,500 cinemas next weekend.
“We are beyond thrilled with this weekend’s record-breaking results and the overwhelmingly positive response. Wes Anderson is a unique director with unmatched creative vision, and it’s so gratifying to see adult moviegoers returning to theaters for the fun of this film,” said Lisa Bunnell, Focus Features, President of Distribution.
“We’re off to a great start and can’t wait to bring even more viewers to Asteroid City in the coming weeks,” said Bunnell, who calls Anderson “the marvel of the specialty world.”
Bunnell said the film is seeing a diverse audience with many younger people – meaning 18-34 year olds need to bring specialty cinemas back. The 9pm and 10pm shows were lively.
It’s taken a village, with partners Landmark, Alamo Drafthouse and Angelika all making great strides, and with plenty of support from AMC, which will hit the peak of print runs next week as the film expands.
The weekend breakdown: Friday – $350,000; Saturday – $250,000; Sunday – $190,000; Monday – $100,000.
Other openings: There weren’t many of those, as distributors steered clear amid a spate of high-profile releases and what turned out to be a Wes Anderson juggernaut. Telugu film Adipurushby Viva Entertainment, was one that grossed an estimated $1.6 million across 550 screens, placing it in the weekend’s top ten.
We note the continued success of A24 past lives, which expanded to 85 screens in top markets this weekend (week three) and surpassed the $2 million mark. Celine Song’s debut film grossed an estimated $761,000 over the three-day weekend and $923,000 over the four days, for a total of $2.06 million. With Asteroid City, it’s a nice boost for the indie market.