A Tale of Love and Darkness (2016)

A Tale of Love and Darkness
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $572,212Details
International Box Office $144,953Details
Worldwide Box Office $717,165
Further financial details...

Synopsis

A film based on Amos Oz’s memories of growing up in Jerusalem in the years before Israeli statehood with his parents; his the academic father, Arieh, and his dreamy, imaginative mother, Fania. They were one of many Jewish families who moved to Palestine from Europe during the 1930s and 1940s to escape persecution. Arieh was cautiously hopeful for the future. But Fania wanted much more. The terror of the war and the running had been followed by the tedium of everyday life, which weighed heavily on Fania’s spirit. Unhappy in her marriage and intellectually stifled, to cheer herself, and to entertain 10-year-old Amos, she would make up stories of adventures, treks across the desert. Amos was enraptured while she read him poetry and explained to him about words and language in a way that would influence his writing his entire life. When the independence didn’t bring with it the renewed sense of life that Fania had hoped for, she slips into solitude and sadness. Unable to help her, Amos must say good-bye before he is ready. As he witnesses the birth of a nation, he must come to terms with his own new beginning.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$37,170 (6.5% of total gross)
Legs:4.49 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:79.8% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Theater counts:2 opening theaters/66 max. theaters, 3.5 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $713,108

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 9,801-9,900) 9,885 $572,212
All Time International Box Office (Rank 17,001-17,100) 17,071 $144,953
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 16,901-17,000) 16,998 $717,165
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,322 $572,212

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon
iTunes:iTunes
Vudu:Vudu

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 19th, 2016 (Limited) by Focus World
International Releases: May 13th, 2016 (Wide) (Brazil)
September 6th, 2016 (Wide) (South Korea)
June 9th, 2017 (Wide), released as Sognare è vivere (Italy)
Video Release: December 20th, 2016 by Focus Features
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic content and some disturbing violent images.
(Rating bulletin 2425 (Cert #50356), 5/18/2016)
Running Time: 98 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Rabin, The Last Day
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Directing Yourself, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Set in Israel, Writing and Writers, Dream Sequence, Actors Making Their Directorial Debut
Source:Based on Factual Book/Article
Genre:Drama
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Dramatization
Production/Financing Companies: Movie Plus, Ram Bergman Productions, Keshet, Avi Chai, Israel Film Fund, Pais , Yehoshua Rabinovich Tel-Aviv Foundation for the Arts, Leon Recanati Foundation, Cultural Administration, Israel Ministry of Culture and Sport, Israel Film Council, Jerusalem Film and Television Fund, Gesher Multicultural Film Fund
Production Countries: Israel, United States
Languages: Hebrew

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Top 2016 Theater Average 58 $18,585 Aug 19, 2016 3

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 19, 2016 47 $37,170   2 $18,585   $37,170 1
Aug 26, 2016 38 $115,058 +210% 26 $4,425   $166,265 2
Sep 2, 2016 39 $127,475 +11% 66 $1,931   $343,142 3
Sep 9, 2016 43 $60,410 -53% 64 $944   $477,869 4
Sep 16, 2016 57 $24,982 -59% 33 $757   $527,918 5
Sep 23, 2016 58 $15,210 -39% 17 $895   $553,557 6
Sep 30, 2016 70 $8,312 -45% 21 $396   $569,381 7

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Aug 19, 2016 - $9,852     2 $4,926   $9,852 1
Aug 20, 2016 - $15,766 +60%   2 $7,883   $25,618 2
Aug 21, 2016 - $11,552 -27%   2 $5,776   $37,170 3
Aug 22, 2016 - $3,248 -72%   2 $1,624   $40,418 4
Aug 23, 2016 - $3,630 +12%   2 $1,815   $44,048 5
Aug 24, 2016 - $3,968 +9%   2 $1,984   $48,016 6
Aug 25, 2016 - $3,191 -20%   2 $1,596   $51,207 7
Aug 26, 2016 - $25,079 +686% +155% 26 $965   $76,286 8
Aug 27, 2016 - $54,593 +118% +246% 26 $2,100   $130,879 9
Aug 28, 2016 - $35,386 -35% +206% 26 $1,361   $166,265 10
Aug 29, 2016 - $11,645 -67% +259% 26 $448   $177,910 11
Aug 30, 2016 - $13,513 +16% +272% 26 $520   $191,423 12
Aug 31, 2016 - $12,269 -9% +209% 26 $472   $203,692 13
Sep 1, 2016 - $11,975 -2% +275% 26 $461   $215,667 14
Sep 2, 2016 - $23,456 +96% -6% 66 $355   $239,123 15
Sep 3, 2016 - $57,300 +144% +5% 66 $868   $296,423 16
Sep 4, 2016 - $46,719 -18% +32% 66 $708   $343,142 17
Sep 5, 2016 - $41,705 -11% +258% 66 $632   $384,847 18
Sep 6, 2016 - $11,614 -72% -14% 66 $176   $396,461 19
Sep 7, 2016 - $11,243 -3% -8% 66 $170   $407,704 20
Sep 8, 2016 - $9,755 -13% -19% 66 $148   $417,459 21
Sep 9, 2016 - $10,761 +10% -54% 64 $168   $428,220 22
Sep 10, 2016 - $31,213 +190% -46% 64 $488   $459,433 23
Sep 11, 2016 - $18,436 -41% -61% 64 $288   $477,869 24
Sep 12, 2016 - $5,441 -70% -87% 64 $85   $483,310 25
Sep 13, 2016 - $7,660 +41% -34% 64 $120   $490,970 26
Sep 14, 2016 - $5,908 -23% -47% 64 $92   $496,878 27
Sep 15, 2016 - $6,058 +3% -38% 64 $95   $502,936 28
Sep 16, 2016 - $4,686 -23% -56% 33 $142   $507,622 29
Sep 17, 2016 - $12,671 +170% -59% 33 $384   $520,293 30
Sep 18, 2016 - $7,625 -40% -59% 33 $231   $527,918 31
Sep 19, 2016 - $2,919 -62% -46% 33 $88   $530,837 32
Sep 20, 2016 - $3,109 +7% -59% 33 $94   $533,946 33
Sep 21, 2016 - $2,206 -29% -63% 33 $67   $536,152 34
Sep 22, 2016 - $2,195 n/c -64% 33 $67   $538,347 35
Sep 23, 2016 - $3,297 +50% -30% 17 $194   $541,644 36
Sep 24, 2016 - $7,910 +140% -38% 17 $465   $549,554 37
Sep 25, 2016 - $4,003 -49% -48% 17 $235   $553,557 38
Sep 26, 2016 - $1,100 -73% -62% 17 $65   $554,657 39
Sep 27, 2016 - $2,438 +122% -22% 17 $143   $557,095 40
Sep 28, 2016 - $2,093 -14% -5% 17 $123   $559,188 41
Sep 29, 2016 - $1,881 -10% -14% 17 $111   $561,069 42
Sep 30, 2016 - $2,042 +9% -38% 21 $97   $563,111 43
Oct 1, 2016 - $4,647 +128% -41% 21 $221   $567,758 44
Oct 2, 2016 - $1,623 -65% -59% 21 $77   $569,381 45
Oct 3, 2016 - $532 -67% -52% 21 $25   $569,913 46
Oct 4, 2016 - $703 +32% -71% 21 $33   $570,616 47
Oct 5, 2016 - $830 +18% -60% 21 $40   $571,446 48
Oct 6, 2016 - $766 -8% -59% 21 $36   $572,212 49

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 19, 2016 49 $51,207   2 $25,604   $51,207 1
Aug 26, 2016 40 $164,460 +221% 26 $6,325   $215,667 2
Sep 2, 2016 39 $201,792 +23% 66 $3,057   $417,459 3
Sep 9, 2016 43 $85,477 -58% 64 $1,336   $502,936 4
Sep 16, 2016 59 $35,411 -59% 33 $1,073   $538,347 5
Sep 23, 2016 59 $22,722 -36% 17 $1,337   $561,069 6
Sep 30, 2016 79 $11,143 -51% 21 $531   $572,212 7

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Brazil 5/13/2016 $23,635 0 0 0 $58,317 11/15/2018
Italy 6/9/2017 $36,166 0 0 0 $60,735 6/22/2017
South Korea 9/6/2016 $13,231 0 0 0 $25,901 9/10/2018
 
International Total$144,953 11/15/2018

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.

Leading Cast

Natalie Portman    Fania Oz

Supporting Cast

Gilad Kahana    Arieh Oz
Amir Tessler    Amos
Makram Khoury    Halawani
Shira Haas    Finia Mussman
Vladimir Friedman    Mr. Licht
Henry David    Colonel Jan
Ohad Knoller    Israel Zarchi
Rotem Keinan    Tsvi

Narrator(s)

Moni Moshonov    Old Amos

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Natalie Portman    Director
Natalie Portman    Screenwriter
Amos Oz    Based on the novel by
Ram Bergman    Producer
David Mandil    Producer
Nicolas Chartier    Executive Producer
Allison Shearmur    Executive Producer
Slawomir Idziak    Director of Photography
Andrew Mondshein    Editor
Arad Sawat    Production Designer
Nicholas Britell    Composer
Li Alembik    Costume Designer

Home Market Releases for December 20th, 2016

December 19th, 2016

Sully

It’s the final Tuesday before Christmas and there are a few big releases that are trying to become last minute gifts. Sully is the best of the big releases, but according to Amazon.com, Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is the best-selling new release of the week. I guess a very recent Christmas TV special makes sense near the top, but appearing at the very top it is surprising. As for the Pick of the Week, it is a coin-toss between Sully and Hitchcock/Truffaut on DVD or Blu-ray. Sully won the coin-toss. More...

Theater Averages: Darkness has a Lovely Start with an Average of $18,585

August 24th, 2016

A Tale of Love and Darkness

Natalie Portman’s feature-length directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness, was the only film in the $10,000 club earning an average of $18,585 in two theaters. More...

Weekend Estimates: Newcomers Can’t Dislodge Suicide Squad

August 21st, 2016

Suicide Squad

Three even-matched debutants proved to be no match for the incumbents at the box office this weekend, with Suicide Squad taking a third straight victory at the box office with $20.71 million, according to Warner Bros.’ Sunday morning projection. Sausage Party stays in second with $15.3 million, and that leaves the new entrants in 3rd, 4th and 5th. This was a weekend where diversity isn’t the problem, but novelty is. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: No Monster Releases

August 19th, 2016

Closet Monster

There are a number of interesting limited releases on this week’s list, including Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World, Morris from America, Imperium, and Closet Monster. Unfortunately, while all of them are earning good reviews, none of them are likely to be hits in theaters. More...


  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Full Financials
  7. Cast & Crew
  8. Trailer

Synopsis

A film based on Amos Oz’s memories of growing up in Jerusalem in the years before Israeli statehood with his parents; his the academic father, Arieh, and his dreamy, imaginative mother, Fania. They were one of many Jewish families who moved to Palestine from Europe during the 1930s and 1940s to escape persecution. Arieh was cautiously hopeful for the future. But Fania wanted much more. The terror of the war and the running had been followed by the tedium of everyday life, which weighed heavily on Fania’s spirit. Unhappy in her marriage and intellectually stifled, to cheer herself, and to entertain 10-year-old Amos, she would make up stories of adventures, treks across the desert. Amos was enraptured while she read him poetry and explained to him about words and language in a way that would influence his writing his entire life. When the independence didn’t bring with it the renewed sense of life that Fania had hoped for, she slips into solitude and sadness. Unable to help her, Amos must say good-bye before he is ready. As he witnesses the birth of a nation, he must come to terms with his own new beginning.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$37,170 (6.5% of total gross)
Legs:4.49 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:79.8% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Theater counts:2 opening theaters/66 max. theaters, 3.5 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $713,108

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 9,801-9,900) 9,885 $572,212
All Time International Box Office (Rank 17,001-17,100) 17,071 $144,953
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 16,901-17,000) 16,998 $717,165
All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,322 $572,212

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon
iTunes:iTunes
Vudu:Vudu

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 19th, 2016 (Limited) by Focus World
International Releases: May 13th, 2016 (Wide) (Brazil)
September 6th, 2016 (Wide) (South Korea)
June 9th, 2017 (Wide), released as Sognare è vivere (Italy)
Video Release: December 20th, 2016 by Focus Features
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic content and some disturbing violent images.
(Rating bulletin 2425 (Cert #50356), 5/18/2016)
Running Time: 98 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Rabin, The Last Day
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Directing Yourself, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Set in Israel, Writing and Writers, Dream Sequence, Actors Making Their Directorial Debut
Source:Based on Factual Book/Article
Genre:Drama
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Dramatization
Production/Financing Companies: Movie Plus, Ram Bergman Productions, Keshet, Avi Chai, Israel Film Fund, Pais , Yehoshua Rabinovich Tel-Aviv Foundation for the Arts, Leon Recanati Foundation, Cultural Administration, Israel Ministry of Culture and Sport, Israel Film Council, Jerusalem Film and Television Fund, Gesher Multicultural Film Fund
Production Countries: Israel, United States
Languages: Hebrew

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Top 2016 Theater Average 58 $18,585 Aug 19, 2016 3

Leading Cast

Natalie Portman    Fania Oz

Supporting Cast

Gilad Kahana    Arieh Oz
Amir Tessler    Amos
Makram Khoury    Halawani
Shira Haas    Finia Mussman
Vladimir Friedman    Mr. Licht
Henry David    Colonel Jan
Ohad Knoller    Israel Zarchi
Rotem Keinan    Tsvi

Narrator(s)

Moni Moshonov    Old Amos

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Natalie Portman    Director
Natalie Portman    Screenwriter
Amos Oz    Based on the novel by
Ram Bergman    Producer
David Mandil    Producer
Nicolas Chartier    Executive Producer
Allison Shearmur    Executive Producer
Slawomir Idziak    Director of Photography
Andrew Mondshein    Editor
Arad Sawat    Production Designer
Nicholas Britell    Composer
Li Alembik    Costume Designer

Home Market Releases for December 20th, 2016

December 19th, 2016

Sully

It’s the final Tuesday before Christmas and there are a few big releases that are trying to become last minute gifts. Sully is the best of the big releases, but according to Amazon.com, Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is the best-selling new release of the week. I guess a very recent Christmas TV special makes sense near the top, but appearing at the very top it is surprising. As for the Pick of the Week, it is a coin-toss between Sully and Hitchcock/Truffaut on DVD or Blu-ray. Sully won the coin-toss. More...

Theater Averages: Darkness has a Lovely Start with an Average of $18,585

August 24th, 2016

A Tale of Love and Darkness

Natalie Portman’s feature-length directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness, was the only film in the $10,000 club earning an average of $18,585 in two theaters. More...

Weekend Estimates: Newcomers Can’t Dislodge Suicide Squad

August 21st, 2016

Suicide Squad

Three even-matched debutants proved to be no match for the incumbents at the box office this weekend, with Suicide Squad taking a third straight victory at the box office with $20.71 million, according to Warner Bros.’ Sunday morning projection. Sausage Party stays in second with $15.3 million, and that leaves the new entrants in 3rd, 4th and 5th. This was a weekend where diversity isn’t the problem, but novelty is. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: No Monster Releases

August 19th, 2016

Closet Monster

There are a number of interesting limited releases on this week’s list, including Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World, Morris from America, Imperium, and Closet Monster. Unfortunately, while all of them are earning good reviews, none of them are likely to be hits in theaters. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 19, 2016 47 $37,170   2 $18,585   $37,170 1
Aug 26, 2016 38 $115,058 +210% 26 $4,425   $166,265 2
Sep 2, 2016 39 $127,475 +11% 66 $1,931   $343,142 3
Sep 9, 2016 43 $60,410 -53% 64 $944   $477,869 4
Sep 16, 2016 57 $24,982 -59% 33 $757   $527,918 5
Sep 23, 2016 58 $15,210 -39% 17 $895   $553,557 6
Sep 30, 2016 70 $8,312 -45% 21 $396   $569,381 7

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Aug 19, 2016 - $9,852     2 $4,926   $9,852 1
Aug 20, 2016 - $15,766 +60%   2 $7,883   $25,618 2
Aug 21, 2016 - $11,552 -27%   2 $5,776   $37,170 3
Aug 22, 2016 - $3,248 -72%   2 $1,624   $40,418 4
Aug 23, 2016 - $3,630 +12%   2 $1,815   $44,048 5
Aug 24, 2016 - $3,968 +9%   2 $1,984   $48,016 6
Aug 25, 2016 - $3,191 -20%   2 $1,596   $51,207 7
Aug 26, 2016 - $25,079 +686% +155% 26 $965   $76,286 8
Aug 27, 2016 - $54,593 +118% +246% 26 $2,100   $130,879 9
Aug 28, 2016 - $35,386 -35% +206% 26 $1,361   $166,265 10
Aug 29, 2016 - $11,645 -67% +259% 26 $448   $177,910 11
Aug 30, 2016 - $13,513 +16% +272% 26 $520   $191,423 12
Aug 31, 2016 - $12,269 -9% +209% 26 $472   $203,692 13
Sep 1, 2016 - $11,975 -2% +275% 26 $461   $215,667 14
Sep 2, 2016 - $23,456 +96% -6% 66 $355   $239,123 15
Sep 3, 2016 - $57,300 +144% +5% 66 $868   $296,423 16
Sep 4, 2016 - $46,719 -18% +32% 66 $708   $343,142 17
Sep 5, 2016 - $41,705 -11% +258% 66 $632   $384,847 18
Sep 6, 2016 - $11,614 -72% -14% 66 $176   $396,461 19
Sep 7, 2016 - $11,243 -3% -8% 66 $170   $407,704 20
Sep 8, 2016 - $9,755 -13% -19% 66 $148   $417,459 21
Sep 9, 2016 - $10,761 +10% -54% 64 $168   $428,220 22
Sep 10, 2016 - $31,213 +190% -46% 64 $488   $459,433 23
Sep 11, 2016 - $18,436 -41% -61% 64 $288   $477,869 24
Sep 12, 2016 - $5,441 -70% -87% 64 $85   $483,310 25
Sep 13, 2016 - $7,660 +41% -34% 64 $120   $490,970 26
Sep 14, 2016 - $5,908 -23% -47% 64 $92   $496,878 27
Sep 15, 2016 - $6,058 +3% -38% 64 $95   $502,936 28
Sep 16, 2016 - $4,686 -23% -56% 33 $142   $507,622 29
Sep 17, 2016 - $12,671 +170% -59% 33 $384   $520,293 30
Sep 18, 2016 - $7,625 -40% -59% 33 $231   $527,918 31
Sep 19, 2016 - $2,919 -62% -46% 33 $88   $530,837 32
Sep 20, 2016 - $3,109 +7% -59% 33 $94   $533,946 33
Sep 21, 2016 - $2,206 -29% -63% 33 $67   $536,152 34
Sep 22, 2016 - $2,195 n/c -64% 33 $67   $538,347 35
Sep 23, 2016 - $3,297 +50% -30% 17 $194   $541,644 36
Sep 24, 2016 - $7,910 +140% -38% 17 $465   $549,554 37
Sep 25, 2016 - $4,003 -49% -48% 17 $235   $553,557 38
Sep 26, 2016 - $1,100 -73% -62% 17 $65   $554,657 39
Sep 27, 2016 - $2,438 +122% -22% 17 $143   $557,095 40
Sep 28, 2016 - $2,093 -14% -5% 17 $123   $559,188 41
Sep 29, 2016 - $1,881 -10% -14% 17 $111   $561,069 42
Sep 30, 2016 - $2,042 +9% -38% 21 $97   $563,111 43
Oct 1, 2016 - $4,647 +128% -41% 21 $221   $567,758 44
Oct 2, 2016 - $1,623 -65% -59% 21 $77   $569,381 45
Oct 3, 2016 - $532 -67% -52% 21 $25   $569,913 46
Oct 4, 2016 - $703 +32% -71% 21 $33   $570,616 47
Oct 5, 2016 - $830 +18% -60% 21 $40   $571,446 48
Oct 6, 2016 - $766 -8% -59% 21 $36   $572,212 49

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 19, 2016 49 $51,207   2 $25,604   $51,207 1
Aug 26, 2016 40 $164,460 +221% 26 $6,325   $215,667 2
Sep 2, 2016 39 $201,792 +23% 66 $3,057   $417,459 3
Sep 9, 2016 43 $85,477 -58% 64 $1,336   $502,936 4
Sep 16, 2016 59 $35,411 -59% 33 $1,073   $538,347 5
Sep 23, 2016 59 $22,722 -36% 17 $1,337   $561,069 6
Sep 30, 2016 79 $11,143 -51% 21 $531   $572,212 7

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Brazil 5/13/2016 $23,635 0 0 0 $58,317 11/15/2018
Italy 6/9/2017 $36,166 0 0 0 $60,735 6/22/2017
South Korea 9/6/2016 $13,231 0 0 0 $25,901 9/10/2018
 
International Total$144,953 11/15/2018

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.