Brian Brooks is a Deadline contributor.
The Weinstein Company’s Quartet and Sony Pictures Classics’ Amour held steady in their expansions this weekend, while Zeitgeist’s Koch and Sony Classics’ The Gatekeepers remained solid in their second frames. Newcomers, however, fared comparatively softly, though the Blizzard that hit the Northeast certainly had an impact. A24 Films’ Charlie Sheen-starrer A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III lead the trio of reporting limited-release debuts with a modest $6K average. Music Box Films’ Lore bowed in a half-dozen locations, averaging $5,167 while AMC Theatres roll-out Lost In Thailand averaged a paltry $833. Lost In Thailand, which packed a punch in China with over $200 million in that market clearly did not resonate here, at least yet. Still, the film remains China’s biggest domestic creation, second only to Avatar in that market. Freestyle Releasing did not report figures for its opener The Playroom.
New distributor A24 Films rolled out its first release Charles Swan III in New York and L.A. in a pair of theaters. The distributor said the title climbed 141% from Friday to Saturday. A24 also said the feature had a “successful Ultra VOD window” performing “especially strong on Cable VOD. Charles Swan III will expand to 15 markets on February 15th with additional nationwide rollout through March. Lore set out in six theaters, grossing a light $31K. It will open at two locations in Chicago February 15th and expand to an additional 10 runs on March 1st.
Zeitgeist’s Koch bowed last weekend on the same day the documentary’s subject, former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, passed away. The distributor had planned to expand from its initial two locations to four, but the storm popularly known as Nemo took out one location, according to the company. It averaged $9,330 compared to $20K in its first round.
Both Amour and Quartet remain 2013′s shining lights in the specialty realm. The two titles continue to show strength in expansion and both managed to pass milestone cumes this weekend. TWC added 42 theaters in Quartet‘s fifth weekend in release, grossing $951K averaging $3,898. The Dustin Hoffman feature directorial debut passed the $5 million mark. Amour, meanwhile, passed the $3 million mark. SPC added 31 locations in its 8th weekend of release, grossing just under $381K from 125 runs, averaging $3,046.
NEW
A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III (A24 Films) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $12K, Average $6K
Lore (Music Box Films) NEW [6 Theaters] Weekend $31K, Average $5,167
Lost In Thailand (AMC Theatres) [35 Theaters] Weekend $29,143, Average $833
RETURNING / 2ND WEEKEND
The Gatekeepers (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 2 [3 Theaters] Weekend $42,449, Average $14,150, Cume $152,916
Koch (Zeitgeist Films) Week 2 [3 Theaters] Weekend $27,988, Average $9,330, Cume $ 79,724
HOLDOVERS / 3RD+ WEEKEND
Quartet (The Weinstein Company) Week 5 [244 Theaters] Weekend $951K, Average $3,898, Cume $5,010,487
Amour (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 8 [125 Theaters] Weekend $380,721, Average $3,046, Cume $3,023,599
The Impossible (Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate) Week 8 [739 Theaters] Weekend $915K, Average $1,238, Cume $16,625,744
Hyde Park On Hudson (Focus Features) Week 10 [130 Theaters] Weekend $131,143, Average $1,009, Cume $5,816,310
Anna Karenina (Focus Features) Week 13 [91 Theaters] Weekend $55,729, Average $612, Cume $12,652,788
The Master (The Weinstein Company) Week 22 [29 Theaters] Weekend $23K, Average $793, Cume $16,246,401
Searching For Sugar Man (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 29 [20 Theaters] Weekend $20,709, Average $1,035, Cume $3,245,825
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