‘The Beatles’ A Chart-Topper In Crowded Weekend: Specialty Box Office

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‘The Beatles’ A Chart-Topper In Crowded Weekend: Specialty Box Office
by Brian Brooks
September 18, 2016


Apple Corps

A competitive weekend on Specialty screens saw The Fab Four land the top spot, as Ron Howard’s doc The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years bowed with a mix of one-nighters and traditional engagements, grossing over $615K in its slated week-long engagements via Abramorama. Robert Kenner’s nuke doc Command and Control from The American Experience/PBS Films opened in an exclusive engagement in New York, capturing the highest per theater average from Friday to Sunday, but overall it was a so-so Specialty weekend at best. Rialto opened a restored version of 1961 French-Italian pic La Notte in two theaters, grossing $11K. TWC opened Wild Oats in a hundred locations with a slow $18,700 gross, while Freestyle Releasing bowed Mr. Church in 354 theaters, grossing over $407K. Second weekend holdovers were also blasé. Focus World added dozens of locations for Kicks, grossing $62K, while Cohen Media Group’s Come What May and The Orchard’s Demon had somewhat better averages with smaller expansions in their second frames. Lionsgate/Pantelion’s No Manches Frida held steady in its third week, grossing $1.25 million in slightly fewer theaters from last week.


Abramorama

Ron Howard isn’t typically associated with limited release titles, but the director opened his latest with distributor Abramorama. Eight Days a Week, with a mix of one-night event screenings and week-long engagements, debuted in theaters Friday and began its Hulu window Saturday. There were 80 one-nighters, grossing $156,844 ($1,961 average), while other engagements grossed $615,632 ($7,243 average), giving it a $772,467 weekend cume.

“We were limited by capacity,” said Abramorama’s Richard Abramowitz Sunday. “It was the number one [movie] in almost all theaters that played a full schedule. Clearly people want to come out to the theater and experience it in a concert-like environment. Fifty years later, they still translate. I’ve been inundated with calls from other theaters to show the film.”

Because it’s available on-demand, the feature has been booked in theaters that mostly do not adhere to strict rules on the traditional 90-day window, though Abramowitz said that restored concert footage of The Beatles from their legendary show at Shea Stadium have lured some theaters to consider bending the rules. “I did get some emails this morning from theaters that don’t normally do this. The concert that’s only showing in theaters is allowing for some leniency for this,” he said. “Some who [usually] have a hard and fast policy are asking.” Giving an added plug, Abramowitz added: “The Beatles never played to empty seats, and The Beatles movie is not playing to empty seats.”

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NEW RELEASES

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (Abramorama) NEW [80 One Night Engagements; 85 Traditional Engagements] Weekend (One Night): $156,844, Average $1,961; (Traditional): $615,632, Average $7,243; Cume $772,467


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