Per Theater Chart: New Releases Roar

November 30, 2011

The top film on the per theater chart was a silent film, The Artist, which was amazing, earning more than $200,000 in just four theaters for an average of $51,220. A Dangerous Method was also very strong on the per theater chart earning an average of $41,988, also in four theaters. Last week's winner, The Descendants, expanded into nearly 400 theaters, but still managed an average of $18,835. Finally, the overall box office leader, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, managed an average of $10,252.

There were not many other new limited releases, but My Week with Marilyn was able to earn $1.75 million in 244 for an average of $7,174. It should expand somewhat over the coming weeks, while it has already earned some measure of mainstream success. Finally, House of Pleasures opened with $4,766 in one theater.

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

• Melancholia made it to $1 million over the weekend and should get to $2 million before too long, but how much further it will go is up in the air.
• My Week with Marilyn opened with more than $1 million over the weekend, while it took in $2 million from Wednesday through Sunday.
• Like Crazy got to $2 million just before the weekend and it is already halfway to $3 million.
• The Descendants expanded on Wednesday and started hitting major milestones on nearly a daily basis. By the end of Sunday, the film had topped $10 million, while at this pace it could double that result by the end of next weekend. There are more than a few limited releases opening in December that have the potential to expand wide, but The Descendants has had an amazing start and could end up the biggest sleeper hit of the season.

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Theater Averages, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, The Descendants, My Week with Marilyn, Like Crazy, Melancholia, A Dangerous Method, The Artist, L'apollonide - souvenirs de la maison close