Specialty Box Office: Made in Dagenham and White Material Don’t Measure Up for NYC Auds

Weekend Box Office: November 19th to the 21st

Warner Brothers released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in an impressive 4,125 locations this weekend. The big budget beginning of the end for the mighty franchise averaged $30,332 per screen and looks to be the start of the film’s reign at the top for weekends to come. “Potter” pushed out all other contenders with fifth place going to The Next Three Days which managed to gross just $6.7 million in its first weekend. Outside of the studios, “127 Hours” continued on its climb expanding to 108 screens while maintaining solid numbers.

Other specialty films didn’t manage to pose the promising numbers that “Hours” has been putting up. In regards to this week’s newcomers, Made in Dagenham and White Material posted underwhelming numbers with their launch in three locations (averaging $13,700 and $12,100 respectively) – although IndieWIRE reports this to be Claire Denis’ best ever opening – not bad for a film that has been sitting on the shelf since it hit 2009’s festival circuit. The Weinstein Company has much bigger expectations for next week’s launch of “The King’s Speech” starring Colin Firth. Freestyle Releasing is thankful that “Nutcracker in 3D” will not have to compete with “Potter” for 3D screens next week but will still have to contend with Disney’s “Tangled.”

U.S Indie:
Despite low numbers posted by White Material, IFC Films should be more than happy to welcome Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” back for another weekend of dominating the single theater it has been released in. “Furniture” has made lemonade out of lemons in the one New York location by grossing $47,200, hoping to expand into other territories next weekend.

Vitagraph’s Today’s Special needed 55 locations to gross only $91,000 in its debut weekend. “Fair Game,” however, made the most of its 386 screens and jumped into the top ten in its third week by grossing $1.4 million for Summit. The true test will come for “Game” next week as “127 Hours,” with an impressive $8,472 average, expands into more locations.

World Cinema:
Made in Dagenham made little out of its three location debut ($41,000 grossed). Nigel Cole’s look into discrimination at the Ford Dagenham assembly plant in 1968 will hope to have better luck in the coming holiday weeks.

Beginning its slow withdrawal from theaters this week is “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” Music Box Films has made $3.4 million to date on the end to a trilogy that has become their most successful investment. With only a 20.6% decline from last week, “Nest” seems to be heading out on a strong note.

Documentary:
While “Waiting for Superman” continues to linger, making $108,000 in its ninth week, newcomer William S. Burroughs: A Man Within kicks off with a whimper for Oscilloscope ($11,150 in one location since Wednesday). The film looks to escape from New York over the coming week and prove itself in more locations.

The entrant from Sony Classics in this year’s Oscar race, “Inside Job,” squeezed $371,000 out of its seventh week. While not posting the massive numbers that “Waiting for Superman” has, “Job” only declined 22.5% and will most likely grind out at least one more weekend at the box office.

Specialty Box Office Top 5

Box Office Top 10

Next Weekend:
The King’s Speech, 15 Till Midnight, Love and Other Drugs, Burlesque, Faster, Tangled, Nutcracker in 3D