The specialty box office space entered 2021 with two fresh titles and one under-the-radar pic with Vertical Entertainment’s Shadow In The Cloud, Netflix’s Pieces of a Woman and Amazon Studios’ Herself. In general, reporting on box office numbers has been tricky ground considering circumstances and that will continue in 2021 — especially with the specialty box office. It will continue to be difficult to gauge the “success” of a title based on number alone as titles in the specialty space range from limited release to day-and-date release to digital/VOD/PVOD-only to virtual cinema debuts to a combo of any or all the aforementioned. Because of the numerous platforms warranted to specialty titles, the only numbers that are reported are physical box office numbers and as we all know, there’s been a struggle in that arena. Nonetheless, there is some life at the specialty box office. It’s not the greatest, but there is enough to keep it afloat…more or less.
The WWII horror pic Shadow in the Cloud starring Choe Grace Moretz and directed by Roseanne Liang opened in 75 theaters and on VOD. It managed to bank an estimated $35K at the box office as it sits at a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Netflix’s Pieces of a Woman had a limited theatrical run starting December 30 before hitting the streaming giant on January 7. As always, no numbers were reported for its theatrical run.
Meanwhile, Amazon released Phyllida Lloyd’s drama Herself starring Clare Dunne in 40 theaters and it grossed an estimated $6K in its opening weekend. The film, which currently sits at a healthy 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, is set to drop on Prime Video on January 8. It’s also worth mentioning that Regina King’s feature directorial debut One Night in Miami had a limited release in Miami on December 25 and is sitting strong at a 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating. This may help the box office numbers when it hits select theaters on January 8 and Amazon Prime Video on January 15.
Still adding to its box office till is The Dissident from Oscar-winning filmmaker Bryan Fogel. The documentary dives deep into the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and opened in select theaters on December 25. It played 140 theaters in its second weekend to earn an estimated $19K, bringing its cume to $59K. The Dissident will be available on digital and on demand January 8.
In its second week of release, Roadside Attractions’ Pinocchio earned an estimated $284,035 in 795 theaters to bring its cume to $772,873 while the Focus Features awards season contender Promising Young Woman entered its second week playing in 1,333 theaters to bank $660K, bringing its cume to $1.9M.
NEW RELEASES
Herself (Amazon) – Week 1 [40 Theaters]; Weekend $6,000; Average $148
Shadow In The Cloud (Vertical Entertainment) – Week 1 [75 Theaters]; Weekend $35,000; Average $465
SECOND WEEKEND
The Dissident (Briarcliff Entertainment) – Week 2 [140 Theaters]; Weekend $19,000; Average $135; Cume $59,000
Pinocchio (Roadside Attractions) – Week 2 [795 Theaters]; Weekend $284,035; Average $357; Cume $772,873
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features) – Week 2 [1,333 Theaters]; Weekend $660,000; Average $495, Cume $1,900,000
THIRD+ WEEKEND
Come Play (Focus Features) – Week 10 [110 Theaters]; Weekend $62,000; Average $403; Cume $9,568,000
Fatale (Lionsgate) – Week 3 [1,183 theaters]; Weekend $731,000; Average $618; Cume $3,123,000
Half Brothers (Focus Features) – Week 5 [134 Theaters]; Weekend $40,000, Average $299; Cume $2,056,000
Let Him Go (Focus Features) – Week 9 [49 Theaters] Weekend $8,000; Average $163; Cume $9,356,000
The War With Grandpa (101 Studios) – Week 13 [305 Theaters] Weekend $119,000; Average $390; Cume $18,639,000