Per Theater Chart: Wide Releases Run Away from the Pack

July 2, 2015

Runoff

There were only two films in the $10,000 club and they were the wide releases that earned the top two spots on the overall box office chart. Jurassic World earned an average of $12,990, while Inside Out was very close behind with an average of $12,663. The best limited release was Runoff, which earned $9,515 in one theater.

None of the rest of the new limited releases did particularly well. Batkid Begins did the best with an average of $4,859 in four theaters, which is okay. On the other hand, A Little Chaos barely avoided the Mendoza Line with an average of just $2,190 in 83 theaters. The Little Death and Big Game were neck-and-neck with averages of $1,559 and $1,537 respectively. However, like all but one film that failed to top the Mendoza Line this week, they were playing on VOD. Video on Demand is the only mitigating factor that can compensate for a sub-$2,000 per theater average. For many films VOD is simply more lucrative than a limited theatrical release and they only have token theatrical releases for contract purposes and to get reviews. A Murder in the Park opened with $1,310 in its lone theater. On the other extreme, Escobar: Paradise Lost opened in more than 100 theaters, but only managed an average of $1,018. The only film to miss the Mendoza Line that wasn't playing on VOD was L.A. Slasher. I didn't bother talking about it on Friday, because it didn't have five reviews, which is a bad omen. It turns out, it was an accurate omen, as its per theater average was just $346.

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

  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl reached $1 million early in the weekend and has already reached $2 million. It should get to $3 million late this weekend.
  • I'll See You in My Dreams surpassed $5 million at the box office. I think that's as far as it will go, but this is still better than most limited releases manage.
  • Ex Machina topped $25 million over the weekend, which puts it ahead of The Lazarus Effect on the yearly chart. It won't get any further, but this is much better than the vast majority of limited releases can hope for.

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Filed under: Theater Averages, Jurassic World, Inside Out, Ex Machina, Big Game, Escobar: Paradise Lost, The Little Death, A Little Chaos, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, I'll See You in My Dreams, Batkid Begins, A Murder in the Park, Runoff, L.A. Slasher