Despite a handful of films postponing their release dates as a precautionary measure in the wake of the coronavirus, the specialty box office is persevering and hoping that arthouse audience will come through. Last week, A24’s First Cow delivered a career-high opening for Kelly Reichardt — but that was before the coronavirus turned into a pandemic.
Specialty Box Office Preview
A24 is ready to milk the weekend with their new film First Cow from director Kelly Reichardt. The film isn’t about a presidential cow, but it is about a special bovine creature. Set in the 19th century, the film follows a lone cook (John Magaro) as he travels west with a group of fur trappers. Out
Filmmaker Autumn de Wilde is serving up a fresh new take on the Jane Austen novel with the film Emma., which opens in theaters this weekend. Complete with a stylized punctuated period in the title, the new version is a Focus Features co-production with Working Title and Blueprint Productions and joins the ranks of other
With the 2020 summer Olympics around the corner, the timing of the release of the IFC Films romantic comedy Olympic Dreams couldn’t be any more perfect — but this isn’t an ordinary rom-com or a film about the Olympics. Directed by Jeremy Teicher (Tracktown, Tall as the Baobab Tree, Speed Goggles), who co-wrote it with his wife
As Neon rides the awards season wave with Bong Joon Ho’s cinematic masterpiece Parasite, they aren’t stopping with delivering genre titles that speak to their brand. This weekend Neon will debut their chilling thriller The Lodge directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. Written by Fiala, Franz, and Casci, The Lodge follows a family that decides to spend
Nicolas Cage is certainly building on his resume of genre-driven films with the new sci-fi horror pic Color Out of Space, which opens in limited release January 24. The film marks the first feature from celebrated cult filmmaker Richard Stanley since Hardware. Based on the short story by H.P. Lovecraft, the film follows Nathan Gardner (Cage)
This weekend will be a little more retro and lo-fi with the release of Oscilloscope Laboratories’ forthcoming comedy VHYes from writer and director Jack Henry Robbins. In limited release, the pic is a new take on the found footage genre — and it’s all shot entirely on VHS. For those of you who aren’t familiar, VHS
Amazon is set to open Les Misérables in limited release this week, but if you’re expecting a musical based on the Victor Hugo novel, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Directed by Ladj Ly, the film only shares a name with the popular Broadway musical. The drama tackles the issue of police brutality in France, showing that
Sam Mendes’ World War I drama 1917 is set to open in limited release this weekend. Moviegoers may be skeptical as they ask themselves, “Do we really need another World War I movie?” but with a certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 93%, 1917 is proving to be a must-see film, awards season or otherwise. Co-written
As we enter the holidays Lionsgate and Bron Studios are looking to explode with the nationwide release of the Jay Roach-directed Bombshell starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie. The Fox News sexual harassment drama had a stellar limited opening last weekend, earning an estimated $312,000, with a per-screen average of $78,000. As it opens today
In the first of a long list of titles stepping into the Specialty box office space is the French period drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire from director Céline Sciamma. The film, which stars Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival
As indie darlings and awards season contenders like Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, The Lighthouse, Waves and Dark Waters continue to impress, the Thanksgiving weekend has a handful of offerings at the Specialty box office. 63 Up This week will see the premiere of Michael Apted’s (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist) 63 Up, the latest installment of
Focus Features is looking to flood the specialty box office with their latest title Dark Waters from director Todd Haynes. The film, which stars Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway, is based on a true story about attorney Rob Bilott (Ruffalo) who uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the
The family drama Waves made its premiere at Telluride before going to the Toronto Film Festival, where it became the talk of the town. Critics were raving about it while the Twitterverse gave it the seal of approval before A24 picked it up to release on November 15 — a choice spot for awards season. Directed and
As films like Parasite, Jojo Rabbit and Judy flourish and find audiences, Shia LaBeouf’s semi-autobiographical film Honey Boy looks to sweeten the pot and bring its unique vision to not only the Specialty box office space but also the award season race. Directed by visionary filmmaker Alma Har’el, whose feature documentary work LaBeouf has produced, Honey Boy has been gaining
As titles like Jojo Rabbit, Parasite and Judy continue to slay the specialty box office and gain awards season momentum, more titles are throwing their hats into the ring. This week, the Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun-directed The Etruscan Smile starring award-winning actor Brian Cox and produced by three-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn. Documentary Gay Chorus Deep South will be in
After a strong opening for Pain and Glory, Sony Pictures Classics will throw another title into the specialty box office mix this weekend with the Ira Sachs drama Frankie starring Isabelle Huppert. The actress is certainly a draw when it comes to prestigious awards and there’s hope that her name will bring in audiences to see Frankie. The film
Even before Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and won the Audience Award, the World War II satire was getting plenty of attention from Hollywood — because it was a comedy about Hitler. The filmmaker had a cult following after his films Boy, What We Do In the Shadows and Hunt For the Wilderpeople.
As Jokers, Gemini men and charmingly eccentric spooky families hit the theaters this weekend, there is one movie that is looking to latch on to the box office and shake things up. Auteur Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite has already been released abroad and has been making its festival runs leading up to what Neon hopes to be a
Of all the films opening this weekend at the specialty box office, all eyes will be on Judy, the biopic about Hollywood icon Judy Garland. The film made its premiere at Telluride and played the Toronto Film Festival to a great ovation, prompting early awards contender buzz for star Renee Zellweger. Joining Judy in a trip
A documentary about the McCarthy-era lawyer who eventually became Donald Trump’s mentor, a story about a corrupt billionaire prime minister, a corporate retreat that might or might not end in casual cannibalism, a dramatic thriller about the gig economy and a light-hearted Indian romance about luck and cricket — the films on deck for this
As the Toronto Film Festival comes to a close and Hollywood preps to hand out some Emmys, the Specialty box office continues to churn out some original storytelling — and this week’s theme seems to be the concept of sound. The Sound of SilenceDistributor: IFC Films Michael Tyburski makes his feature film debut today with
This week, Justin Chon’s Ms. Purple will make its Los Angeles debut at the Nuart, attempting to gain some traction when it expands to New York and other markets in the following weeks. The film premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim and was acquired by Oscilloscope shortly after. The intimate storytelling of Ms. Purple, which tells the
Brittany Runs a Marathon jumps into five New York and Los Angeles theaters this weekend ahead of a steady sprint nationwide in September. Amazon Studios picked up the title, starring Jillian Bell, following its Sundance premiere earlier this year. Fellow Sundancer Give Me Liberty from the festival’s Next section heads to select locations via Music
August warmth is a harbinger for the fall theatrical season, which is already revving into gear. Magnolia Pictures’ Cold Case Hammarskjöld continues recent non-fiction theatrical debuts that are eyeing awards season. Cold Case won the Best Director prize in the World Documentary section at Sundance in January. Sony Pictures Classics is opening doc Aquarela in
Hints of autumn are unspooling this weekend with stars fronting Specialty fare opening in theaters. Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup and Abby Quinn headline Sundance ’19 opener After The Wedding, starting in New York and L.A. today via Sony Pictures Classics. The film by Bart Freundlich is based on the 2006 Oscar-nominated original by
This is a packed weekend for new specialty rollouts, one of the most crowded of the summer. Neon is opening writer-director Julius Onah’s drama Luce with New York and L.A. runs in its opening frame. The company picked up the title starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Octavia Spencer and Kelvin Harrison Jr. out of Sundance.
Three documentaries that likely will be awards-season contenders begin their theatrical rollouts Friday. Magnolia Pictures is opening Sundance Film Festival pickup Mike Wallace Is Here in New York and Los Angeles. The company is hoping to tap the timeliness of the U.S. president’s ongoing attacks on the press to drive audiences to celebrate a legend
On the heels of other successful music-oriented non-fiction titles, Sony Pictures Classics’ David Crosby: Remember My Name opens in New York and Los Angeles this weekend. The doc, spotlighting the long-time rocker, headlines a fairly busy weekend of new Specialties making their debuts. Freestyle Releasing is going day and date with aging superhero feature Supervised,
Awkwafina traverses two cultures in Lulu Wang’s Sundance ’19 hit The Farewell, which A24 opens in New York and Los Angeles this weekend. While the Specialty circuit was mostly on pause over the holiday weekend last week, the second weekend of July is seeing a notable group of indie/limited releases making its way to theaters.