Per Theater Chart: Moonrise is Intouchable

May 30, 2012

To call Moonrise Kingdom's opening impressive would be an understatement. The film earned more than $500,000 in just four theaters for an average of $130,749. ... I looked up three different sources to make sure that wasn't a typo. That's the ninth best per theater average of all time, and the best for a live action film. (Disney used to release the animated tentpole releases in one or two theaters for a prestige release a week before their wide releases and these films fill the top eight spots.) Les Intouchables placed second with an average of $25,263 in four theaters, which is excellent and suggests potential for expansion. The overall box office leader, Men in Black 3, was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $12,851.

The rest of the new limited releases were well back. OC87 was not bad with $5,733 in one theater, while Oslo, 31 August was acceptable at $4,625 in two theaters. On the other hand, Cowgirls 'n' Angels missed the Mendoza Line with an average of just $1,148, but it was playing in 50 theaters, which is too much for a limited release. Likewise, Mighty Fine was playing in 30 theaters, which turned out to be too many, as it only managed an average of $930.

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

• To the Arctic made it to $2 million just before the weekend, and given its legs thus far, getting to $3 million should be relatively easy.
• Bernie also topped $2 million and it should expand further this weekend getting to $3 million in the process.
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel topped $10 million before the weekend and hit $15 million over the weekend. It might get to $20 million by the end of business today, matching original expectations in the process.

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Theater Averages, Men in Black 3, Bernie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Les Intouchables, Mighty Fine, To the Arctic 3D, Cowgirls 'n Angels, OC87, Oslo, 31 August