Per Theater Chart: What a Weekend!

September 27, 2011

Weekend earned nearly perfect reviews, but I'm still surprised by its box office strength as it earned $27,245 in one theater during its opening weekend of release. The Man Nobody Knew was next with $15,411, also in one theater. Machine Gun Preacher also topped expectations with an average of $11,283 in four theaters, but its reviews suggest it won't last long. Pearl Jam Twenty earned an average of $10,245 in ten theaters over the weekend, and including the special showing it had earlier in the week, it already has close to $400,000.

Limelight led the best of the rest of the new limited release with $9,529 in its lone theater. Puncture was also quite strong with an average of $7,294 in four theaters. The re-release of Marriage, Italian Style did quite well with $4,967 in one theater. A Bird of the Air was a little weaker at $3,819, also in one theater. Thunder Soul missed the Mendoza Line with an average of just $1,464, but it was playing in 35 theaters, which is too many for a documentary.

This past week also saw milestones reached for a few Per Theater Charts alumni:

• The Whistleblower made it to $1 million over the weekend, but that's as far as it will go.
• Seven Days In Utopia reached $4 million over the weekend, but with a per theater average below $1000, it is unlikely that it will get much further, as it will be losing theaters rapidly.
• On the other hand, The Guard also topped $4 million over the weekend, but it has been showing better legs and has a slightly better shot at $5 million.
• Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain made it all the way to $5 million. I don't want to completely rule out getting to $10 million, but it will be tough. However, it is already the best stand-up concert film since RunTelDat, so the studio has to be quite happy with its results already.

Filed under: The Guard, Puncture, Machine Gun Preacher, The Whistleblower, Thunder Soul, Limelight, Pearl Jam Twenty, The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby, Seven Days In Utopia, A Bird of the Air, Weekend, Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain