‘Mary Queen of Scots’ Opens Regal; ‘Vox Lux’ Solid and ‘The Favourite’ Expands Strong: Specialty Box Office

The Queens have it again. Focus Features opened Mary Queen of Scots in four New York and L.A. locations Friday to a robust start, taking in over $200K for a weekend, topping $50,045 per-heater average, placing it as the 11th highest PTA of the year as of Sunday morning.

Specialty moviegoers are clearly satiating their zest for period films centering on monarchs from the British Isles. Fox Searchlight’s The Favourite had the year’s highest opening weekend PTA at $105K. Now in its third weekend, the feature, starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, as well as Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz as her aristocratic suitors, expanded over the weekend, grossing $1.43M in 91 theaters, averaging $15,714. 

Though Mary Queen of Scots reigned among limited-release openers, Neon’s Vox Lux by Brady Corbet and Peter Hedges’ Ben Is Back, released via LD Entertainment, Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate, had solid showings. Vox Lux, starring Natalie Portman, bowed in six theaters Friday, taking in a three-day estimate of $162,252, averaging a robust $27,042. Ben Is Back, starring Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges, grossed just under $81K in four locations, averaging a somewhat narrower $20,243. 

China Lion, meanwhile, opened Taiwanese horror, Tag Along: The Devil Fish with eight runs, grossing $10K, averaging $1,250.

Orion Pictures expanded comedy-horror Anna And the Apocalypse to 35 locations in its second frame. The company is estimating a weekend gross of between $132K and $134K ($3,777 – $3,834 average).

And also in its second outing was GKIDS’ Golden Globe-nominated Mirai, which screened in 15 theaters with regular runs over the weekend in addition to 742 event screenings of the animated feature on Saturday in 742 locations. Mirai took in nearly $193K, primarily from the Saturday event showings, while also grossing $3,360 on Friday in 15 theaters and an estimated Sunday take of $2,957 from the same number of locations.

NEW RELEASES

Ben Is Back (LD Entertainment/Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $80,972, Average $20,243

Mary Queen of Scots (Focus Features) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $200,180, Average $50,045

Tag Along: The Devil Fish (China Lion) NEW [8 Theaters] Weekend $10,000, Average $1,250

Vox Lux (Neon) NEW [6 Theaters] Weekend $162,252, Average $27,042

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

Anna And The Apocalypse (Orion Pictures) Week 2 [35 Theaters] Weekend $132,211 – $134,211, Average $3,777 – $3,834, Cume $$214,106 – $216,226

Mirai (GKIDS) Week 2 [15 Theaters Friday and Sunday; 742 Theaters Saturday] Weekend $199,076, Cume $671,908

HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS

Becoming Astrid (Music Box Films) Week 3 [13 Theaters] Weekend $7,739, Average $595, Cume $49,750

The Favourite (Fox Searchlight) Week 3 [91 Theaters] Weekend $1,430,000, Average $15,714, Cume $3,468,646

A Cool Fish (China Lion) Week 4 [34 Theaters] Weekend $50,000, Average $1,471, Cume $459,016

Green Book (Universal) Week 4 [1,181 Theaters] Weekend $3,935,000, Average $3,332, Cume $19,976,911

At Eternity’s Gate (CBS Films) Week 4 [174 Theaters] Weekend $310,000, Average $1,782, Cume $1,071,000

Boy Erased (Focus Features) Week 6 [622 Theaters] Weekend $420,000, Average $678, Cume $6,330,000

Maria By Callas (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6 [149 Theaters] Weekend $102,313, Average $687, Cume $1,040,232

A Private War (Aviron Pictures) Week 6 [35 Theaters] Weekend $24,000, Average $686, Cume $1,569,008

Border (Neon) Week 7 [74 Theaters] Weekend $52,626, Average $711, Cume $668,797

Suspiria (Amazon Studios) Week 7 [33 Theaters] Weekend $26,450, Average $801, Cume $2,422,420

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Fox Searchlight) Week 8 [265 Theaters] Weekend $245,000, Average $925, Cume $6,977,874

Wildlife (IFC Films) Week 8 [48 Theaters] Weekend $20,482, Average $427, Cume $989,633

Beautiful Boy (Amazon Studios) Week 9 [196 Theaters] Weekend $108,495, Average $553, Cume $7,431,531

The Great Buster: A Celebration (Cohen Media Group) Week 10 [6 Theaters] Weekend $2,170, Average $361, Cume $110,032

Free Solo (National Geographic Documentary Film/Greenwich Entertainment) Week 11 [182 Theaters] Weekend $252,641, Average $1,388, Cume $10,510,593

The Old Man & The Gun (Fox Searchlight) Week 11 [136 Theaters] Weekend $85,000, Average $625, Cume $11,050,284

The Wife (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 17 [421 Theaters] Weekend $222,547, Average $529, Cume $8,011,664

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