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Amazon Studios released Les Misérables gripping police brutality drama, and despite being a Cannes Jury Prize winner, recent Golden Globe nomination, and being France’s official Oscar entry for Best International Feature, the film opened to a disappointing low, earning an estimated $24,414 in its four runs in New York and Los Angeles.
It seems that the awards season boost and critical acclaim couldn’t give the foreign-language film the push it needed for a strong theatrical opening. The film stars Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, and Djebril Zonga, and marks filmmaker Ladj Ly’s directorial debut. The timely drama has nothing to do with the popular musical, but is inspired by the real-life riots that occurred in the suburbs of Paris in 2005, a story that hits close to home for Ly, as these riots had a long-lasting effect on his neighborhood, Montfermeil.
This comes after Amazon’s rocky box office year for some of their theatrical releases such as Late Night and Brittany Runs a Marathon, which both underperformed. However, the films are both finding great success on Prime Video, which speaks well for the future of Ly’s Training Day-esque feature drama on the streaming platform. Most recently, Amazon released Brazil’s official Oscar entry, Invisible Life, which – despite being a prestige title – opened lower than Les Misérables, just below $9,000 in two theaters.
Indian cinema took over the specialty box office space with many debuts, including the banner title Chhapaak, the inspirational female-driven film based on the real-life story of acid attack victim Laxmi Agarwal. The Hindi-language film starring Deepika Padukone and Meghna Gulzar debuted in over 100 theaters to an estimated $315,000 — a confident number. However, three action pics topped Chhapaak‘s opening numbers. Darbar earned an estimated $858,000, while Sarileru Neekevvaru banked an estimated $1,700,000. Rounding out the three was the war epic Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, which debuted to the tune of $671,000.
Abramorama released Ofra Bloch’s documentary Afterward this weekend, and despite its riveting and relevant topic of the wave of anti-Semitism sweeping the world, the film earned a disappointing $6,696 in its debut. The docu premiered on a single screen in New York and is set to expand next week to Ohio and Florida before hitting Los Angeles on January 20. It will roll out across the country throughout February and March in hopes to add to its box office till.
Now in its 14th week out, everything is still peachy for Parasite, as Neon upped its theater count for Bong Joon Ho’s dark comedy, as we are neck-deep in awards season. As it has conquered the cinematic zeitgeist, it continues to play strong, with 345 runs in 92 markets, earning an estimated $966,000 for the weekend, bringing its domestic cume closer to $30 million. Bolstered by its recent Golden Globes win, this can only add more awards season fuel to the tank of the breakout arthouse pic, as we wait to see how it will fare come Monday, when Oscar nominations are announced.
Sony Pictures Classics also added more screens for Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory over the weekend, as we hit the apex of awards season. The critically acclaimed, Cannes-winning drama starring Antonio Banderas jumped from 83 to 104 screens this weekend, earning an estimated $52,095, bringing its cume to over $4 million; a healthy pre-Oscar nomination day number for its 15th week of release.
NEW RELEASES
Afterward (Abramorama) – Week 1 [1 Screen] Weekend/Cume $6,696
Chhapaak (Fox International Pictures) – Week 1 [100 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $315,000, Average $3,150
Darbar (Lyca Productions) – Week 1 [200 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $858,000, Average $4,291
Les Misérables (Amazon Studios) – Week 1 [4 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $24,414, Average $6,103
Sarileru Neekevvaru (Great India Films) – Week 1 [300 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $1,700,000, Average $5,668
Tanhaji: The Unsung War (Vive Entertainment) – Week 1 [180 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $671,000, Average $3,729
HOLDOVERS/THIRD+ WEEKEND
Clemency (Neon) – Week 3 [10 Screens] Weekend $13,450, Average $1,345, Cume $101,847
Dark Waters(Focus Features) – Week 8 [100 Theaters] Weekend $80,000, Average $800, Cume $11,085,000
Good Newwz (Zee Studios) – Week 3 [105 Theaters] Weekend $287,469, Average $2,738, Cume $4,653,000
Invisible Life (Amazon Studios) – Week 4 [18 Theaters] Weekend $18,218, Average $1,012, Cume $83,249
Ip Man 4: The Finale (Well Go USA) – Week 3 [105 Theaters] Weekend $302,736, Average $2,883, Cume $3,480,000
Pain and Glory (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 15 [104 Screens] Weekend $52,095, Average $501, Cume $4,055,883
Parasite (Neon) – Week 14 [345 Screens] Weekend $966,000, Average $2,800, Cume $25,368,737
The Song of the Names (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 3 [70 Screens] Weekend $100,691, Average $1,438, Cume $307,042
Uncut Gems (A24) – Week 5 [2,081 Theaters] Weekend $3,503,241, Average $1,683, Cume $43,469,913