Per Theater Chart: Shadow Steals Spotlight in Its Debut

February 18, 2015

What We Do in the Shadows dominated the per theater chart earning an average of $41,778 in two theaters. This is high enough to suggest the film will be able to expand significantly. Additionally, its reviews are stunning, so its chances at box office success are even better. However, the comedy stylings of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi are not really mainstream and that might hurt its chances. The second place film on the per theater chart was the overall number one film, Fifty Shades of Grey, which earned an average of $23,360. The Last 5 Years was next with an average of $17,158 in three theaters. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem opened with an average of $12,105 in two theaters. Meanwhile, the second wide release of the week, Kingsman: The Secret Service, was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,300.

We only have numbers for one other new limited release. Hits earned an average of $7,578 in two theaters. This film has an... unusual opening. The film's theatrical run included pay-what-you-want donations for some shows, it had a Video on Demand release, and it was even released on bit torrent. Despite this, the film did very well in theaters. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

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

• Two Days, One Night got to $1 million over the weekend. It has a shot at $2 million, but it doesn't have a great shot.
• Still Alice reached $3 million and $4 million over the weekend. It likely won't expand significantly beyond this point, but it still has a shot at $10 million.
• A Most Violent Year topped $5 million early in the weekend, but that's as far as it will go.
• The Imitation Game got all the way to $75 million before the weekend and including Monday reached $80 million. This is more than The Monuments Men and just behind Let's Be Cops.

Filed under: Theater Averages, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Imitation Game, What We Do in the Shadows, Deux jours, une nuit, The Last Five Years, A Most Violent Year, Still Alice, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, Hits, Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi