Per Theater Chart: Getting in the Act

July 23, 2013

The Act of Killing had the best result on the per theater chart earning $27,450 in its lone theater. Fruitvale Station saw its theater count rise from 7 to 34, but its per theater average remained strong at $21,750. It has already cracked its first major milestone, and with room to expand, it will reach more. Blackfish debuted in five theaters with a per theater average of $15,192. That's very strong for a documentary. The overall box office leader, The Conjuring, was right behind with an average of $14,418.

There were not a lot of other new limited releases on the weekend chart, and none of them did really well. Computer Chess opened with an average of $4,842 in two theaters. This isn't bad, but isn't great either. Only God Forgives was seen as a possible limited release hit, but it only managed an average of $4,025. Granted, it was playing in 78 theaters, but this is still a little on the weak side. Finally there's Girl Most Likely, which bombed earning an average of $1,979 in 351 theaters. Granted, this is too many theaters for a limited release, even one with this impressive cast, but the point of the Mendoza Line is there's no way to spin such a result in a positive light.

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

• Unfinished Song topped $1 million over the weekend, but its per theater average is low enough that it will likely go no further.
• Fruitvale Station also cracked $1 million over the weekend. Given its weekend total and its ten-day cumulative figure, I would normally predict it would reach $2 million by this time next week. However, its per theater average is strong enough that it might expand enough to earn $2 million just over the weekend.
• Twenty Feet From Stardom hit $2 million over the weekend and $3 million is within reach.
• The Way Way Back continues its strong run and has now surpassed $4 million at the box office. It will cross $5 million on Tuesday and should still expand getting to $10 million in the coming weeks.

Filed under: The Conjuring, Girl Most Likely, Unfinished Song, 20 Feet From Stardom, Computer Chess, The Way Way Back, Fruitvale Station, Only God Forgives, Blackfish, The Act of Killing