Sometimes, the headlines just write themselves. A stronger-willed writer than I might be able to resist, but alas, I can’t. So I might as well give in. Here goes: “It’s Lonely at the top.” That’s right, this week’s top indie per-screen average is Harmony Korine’s latest effort, Mister Lonely (IFC Films), which brought in a mighty $16,769 in its single-screen showing at the IFC Center in New York City. Some of the credit should go to the infamous auteur/enfant terrible, but don’t discount the eclectic cast (Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Werner Herzog), or the unique hook (a commune full of celebrity impersonators). All of these factors practically confer cult status on the film right off the bat, which never hurts a movie’s chances at the Indie Box Office. What remains to be seen is what kind of legs the movie will have outside of NYC.
But while many prognosticators pegged this as a slow weekend at the indie box office due to the release of Iron Man, several other films played to strong business, with a total of four taking upwards of $10,000 per screen. Debuts of note were the festival hit Son of Rambow (Paramount Vantage) and David Mamet’s mixed martial arts film (still feels weird to type that) Redbelt (Sony Pictures Classics), which ran almost neck and neck for third and fourth place, respectively, behind the weekend’s top holdover, Claude Lelouch's Roman de Gare (IDP/Samuel Goldwyn). Rounding out the top 5 was another debut, the French sexploitation-inflected drama Viva (Vagrant Films).
Also worth mentioning is the continued presence on the chart of Tom McCarthy’s The Visitor (Overture Films), which expanded its release again, this time to 130 screens, while residing comfortably here at #8. The film has brought in more than $1.5 million to date, and with its strong word of mouth it doesn’t show signs of letting up.
Finally, I feel compelled to mention the box-office take for the Kentucky Derby documentary First Saturday in May (Truly Indie), which expanded its release to seven screens just in time for this weekend’s Run for the Roses. However, the timeliness of the expansion failed to goose business, as it brought in a meager $572 per screen average.
Top 10: Weekend of May 2-4, 2008:
1. Mister Lonely [IFC Films] ($16,769 per screen)
2. Roman De Gare [IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films] ($11,267)
3. Son Of Rambow [Paramount Vantage] ($10,758)
4. Redbelt [Sony Pictures Classics] ($10,560)
5. Viva [Vagrant Films] ($8,688)
6. Up the Yangtze [Zeitgeist] ($6,838)
7. The Dhamma Brothers [Balcony Releasing] ($4,718)
8. The Visitor [Overture Films] ($4,666)
9. The Singing Revolution [Abramorama Entertainment] ($4,411)
10. Fugitive Pieces [IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films] ($3,407)
Source: IndieWire.