Theater Averages: La La Lands Yearly Record Result with Average of $176,221

December 13, 2016

La La Land dominated the per theater chart with an average of $176,221 in five theaters. This is not only the best of the year, it is the second best ever for a live-action film, behind just The Grand Budapest Hotel average of $202,792 in four theaters. Jackie was well back with an average of $18,933 in 26 theaters. Had La La Land not come out this weekend, this would have been big news. Now it might get lost in the crowd. Lion remained in the $10,000 club for the third weekend in a row with an average of $11,224 in 15 theaters.

For the second week in a row, none of the rest of the new limited releases beat the Mendoza Line ($2,000/theater). The Brand New Testament managed an average of $1,737 in six theaters. Harry Benson: Shoot First earned an average of $1,599 in three theaters, but it was playing on VOD, so that’s a mitigating reason. Sword Master was next with an average of $1,383 in 29 theaters. The Bounce Back was the widest release of the week, but it really struggled with an average of just $370 in 615 theaters. Frank & Lola was dead last with an average of $221 in 26 theaters. It too was playing on VOD and I assume it did a lot better there than in theaters.

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

• Miss Sloane expanded semi-wide on the weekend and that helped it get to $1 million. It reached $2 million on Monday and will likely get to $3 million over this coming weekend. I’m not sure how much further it will get after that.
• Dear Zindagi got to $2 million, not this past weekend, but the weekend before. (Sometime Bollywood movies won’t release their weekend box office numbers until Friday.)
• Nocturnal Animals got to $3 million before the weekend, while it reached $4 million and $5 million during the weekend. $10 million seems likely at this point.
• Manchester by the Sea made it all the way to $5 million before the weekend and will hit $10 million during this coming weekend.
• Moonlight topped $10 million before the weekend. Its Awards Season success might give it really a long life at the box office and that could get it to $15 million. That is asking a lot, on the other hand.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Theater Averages, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, Nocturnal Animals, La La Land, Le tout nouveau testament, Moonlight, Frank & Lola, The Bounce Back, Harry Benson: Shoot First, Miss Sloane, Jackie, Dear Zindagi, Sword Master