Per Theater Chart: A Little Magic at the Box Office

July 29, 2014

Magic in the Moonlight led the way on the per theater chart with an average of $24,241 in 17 theaters, which is great for most films, but not as strong as some of Woody Allen's more recent releases. Arguably, Boyhood's weekend was much stronger, as it earned an average of $16,466 in 107 theaters. At this point, I'm not sure how long it will last in theaters, but it has already earned at least a measure of mainstream success. The overall number one film, Lucy, was the only other film in the $10,000 club with an average of $13,835.

There were several other new limited releases, but only a few that did well. A Most Wanted Man earned an average of $7,442 in 361 theaters, which was enough to earn a spot in the top ten. A Master Builder was close behind with $7,017 in its lone theater. Kick was next with an average of $6,053 in 177 screens, which is great for a Bollywood film. The Fluffy Movie's opening weekend per theater average was well back at $3,036 in 432 theaters. The Kill Team opened with an estimated $3,000 in its lone theater. There were two films that missed the Mendoza Line, starting with Happy Christmas, which earned an average of $1,881 in four theaters. Lastly, we have Come Back to Me with an average of $416 in ten theaters.

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

• Kick opened with just over $1 million, so obviously it reached the $1 million milestone as well. It is a Bollywood film and these films tend to have very short legs. Getting to $2 million should be relatively easy, but anything beyond that is a roll of the dice.
• Wish I Was Here earned more than $1 million over the weekend helping it get to its first milestone. Given its per theater average, it won't expand signficantly from now on, but it will still get to $2 million shortly and $3 million is practically guaranteed. Since the movie was partially crowd-funded, I'm not sure how to judge its profitability.
• A Most Wanted Man opened with more than $2 million giving it its first two milestones during its opening weekend. Given its reviews and its per theater average, it should have strong legs and getting to $10 million should be its goal.
• The Grand Seduction topped $3 million over the weekend, which is great for a Canadian film, even if it is as far as it will go.
• Boyhood got to $2 million before the weekend while reaching $3 million and $4 million over the weekend. It still has room to expand, so there's no telling where it will end up.
• As expected, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar topped $5 million over the weekend. It might have the legs to reach $10 million, but it will take the IMAX film quite a while to get there.
• Begin Again cracked $10 million since this time last week and while its theater count will drop-off quite quickly, it is still on pace to get to $15 million before its run is over.

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Theater Averages, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar, Begin Again, Lucy, Happy Christmas, Boyhood, A Most Wanted Man, The Fluffy Movie, Wish I Was Here, The Grand Seduction, Magic in the Moonlight, Come Back to Me, Kick, The Kill Team, Woody Allen