Specialty Box Office: 'Somewhere' Debuts And Specialty Market Has Merry Christmas

Weekend Box Office: Christmas Weekend

In a Christmas weekend marked by low attendance, specialty debuts like Somewhere and The Illusionist showed strong numbers. “Somewhere,” Sofia Coppola’s drama about a Hollywood actor (Stephen Dorff) attempting to reconnect with his young daughter (Elle Fanning), won the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival and has been riding a wave of critical accolades ever since with some bumps along the way for being deemed "too European". Focus Features released it in only seven theaters over the Christmas weekend, but averaged $20,286 (marking yet another weekend where the specialty market has shown promising signs amidst the studio slump). While Sony Classics’ “The Illusionist only saw a $16,867 average in three theaters, the animated film from France could get some much needed attention come awards season after its recent Golden Globe nomination.

While studio pictures like “How Do You Know” and “Yogi Bear” have stumbled and been pushed down by other releases, the specialty market has shown what the holiday season is really all about—sharing. Strong recent debuts like “Somewhere” have survived amidst a specialty market filled with holdovers like “Black Swan” and “The King’s Speech,” and with a decline in overall box office receipts, these independent films are riding past festival runs all the way to the bank.

U.S Indie:
“Black Swan” has stayed in the top ten by expanding to 1,466 theaters and maintaining a $4,502 average. In its fourth week, the Fox Searchlight release is looking stronger than ever, grossing a total of $29 million. This total tops “The Wrestler” and makes “Swan” Aronofsky’s highest grossing film ever.

“Rabbit Hole” expanded, and the average dropped drastically. Lionsgate, however, is hopeful that Nicole Kidman’s performance will boost attendance come the Golden Globes. While a $2,800 average in an indie film’s second week doesn’t exactly bode well, the film’s low budget (upwards of $5 million) could be reached with an awards season boost.

In its fourth week, “I Love You, Phillip Morris” expanded to 69 theaters and grossed $149,000. Roadside Attractions is banking on the fact that the comedy starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor will get more attention in time for a much wider release in the coming months. Carrey is set to be the first host of “Saturday Night Live” in the coming year, and “Morris” could see a bump around that time.

World Cinema:
“The King’s Speech” made an aggressive move just in time for Christmas. In its fifth week, the film expanded to 700 theaters and maintained a healthy $6,511 average. The Weinstein co. should be more than happy with this result and could hit the $15 million mark this weekend.

Specialty Box Office Top 5

Box Office Top 10

Next Weekend:
Blue Valentine, Another Year, Biutiful, The Strange Case of Angelica

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