Quartet of Oscar Contenders top the Per Theater Chart

December 12, 2007

While many obvious Oscar bait films have failed to connect with critics or moviegoers this fall, Juno came practically out of nowhere to become a top contender. Not only has it earned 92% positive reviews, it also earned an average of $59,124 over the weekend in 7 theaters. And, since Wednesday, amassed an impressive $81,887. Atonement also did well enough to give it a serious shot at picking up some hardware with almost $800,000 in 32 theaters for an average of $24,901. Last week's duo of debuts held well with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly earning an average of $19,200 in 3 theaters during its second weekend of release. Meanwhile, The Savages expanded from 4 to 9 theaters while earning an average of $15,828.

There were a large number of other new limited releases this week, with none coming all that close to the $10,000 mark. The best of the rest was Dirty Laundry with an average of $7,921, which was better than expectations. The Violin and The Walker finished with nearly identical averages of $5,647 and $5,508 respectively. Grace is Gone has shown once again that moviegoers just don't want to talk about Iraq as it earned just under $14,000 in 4 theaters over the weekend for an average of $3,470. The Amateurs' long-delayed released was not successful as it pulled in an average of $3,383 in three theaters, while Dus Kahaniyaan was close behind with an average of $3,213 in 55. Revolver wasn't able to revive Guy Ritchie's career as it was barely able to crack $40,000 in 18 theaters for an average of $2,323. The widest limited release of the week was Noelle, which flopped hard with $165,000 in just over 200 theaters for an anemic average of $815. But the worst new release of the week was Looking for Cheyenne with just $165 in one theater.

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

  • The latest re-release of Blade Runner hit $1 million over the weekend, 10 weeks into this run and 25 years after it first opened.
  • Margot at the Wedding also hit $1 million, but this is not enough exposure to give it a shot at winning many awards.
  • As expected, I'm Not There cleared $2 million over the weekend, while $3 million is well within reach.
  • Before the Devil Knows You're Dead topped $5 million over the weekend, but it will likely start shedding theaters now.

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Filed under: Juno, Atonement, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Savages, Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, I’m Not There, Margot at the Wedding, Noëlle, Dus Kahaniyaan, Revolver, The Walker, El Violin, Grace Is Gone, Dirty Laundry, Oublier Cheyenne, The Amateurs