Jeff Nichols’ “Mud” started off very strong in its first frame this weekend. Opening on 363
screens, it was at a much bigger risk than typical platform releases starting
in a handful of theaters in New York and Los Angeles. But it paid off — thanks perhaps to the presence of Matthew McConaughey (not to mention Reese Witherspoon, though
who knows what her appeal is post-arrest) and some excellent reviews. It grossed $2,185,980, placing just outside the overall 10 (at 11th), averaging $6,022. That made for the second best average in the overall top 20, just under the $6,103 of #1 film overall “Pain and Gain.”
“After world premiering in the Cannes Competition last year, the film picked up steam on a tour of US Festivals including Sundance and SxSW, and opened to stellar reviews (98% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes),” Roadside’s Howard Cohen told Indiewire. “‘Mud’ performed well in big cities in traditional arthouse markets, but Roadside also successfully opened the film in commercial multiplexes in Arkansas(the film’s #2 gross in the country was in Little Rock), where the film is set, and wider patterns in the heartland. Throughout the South, Midwest and Southwest, the film often had the #1 or #2-ranked gross in commercial theatres, ahead of wide release films. The film had a terrific 53% increase from Friday to Saturday, indicating strong word of mouth.”
Roadside with expand he film to 500+ theatres next weekend.
On the other hand, Matthew McConaughey’s “Paperboy” co-star Zac Efron saw his latest indie “At Any Price” tank this weekend. On 4 screens, it couldn’t even meet the average “Mud” made on nearly 100 times that. “Price” grossed $16,574, averaging just $4,144.
Also opening was The Weinstein Company’s “Kon Tiki” ($11,167 average), IFC Films’ “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” ($10,900 average) and Paladin/108 Media’s “Midnight’s Children” ($6,100 average).
Check out a full list of reporting grosses for debuts below and holdovers on the next page.
The Debuts:
1. Kon Tiki
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Weeks in Release: 1
Gross: $22,334
Theaters: 2
Average: $11,167
Cumulative Total: $22,334
2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Distributor: IFC Films
Weeks in Release: 1
Gross: $32,700
Theaters: 3
Average: $10,900
Cumulative Total: $32,700
3. Midnight’s Children
Distributor: Paladin/108 Media
Weeks in Release: 1
Gross: $12,200
Theaters: 2
Average: $6,100
Cumulative Total: $12,200
4. Mud
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Weeks in Release: 1
Gross: $2,185,980
Theaters: 363
Average: $6,022
Cumulative Total: $2,185,980
5. An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Distributor: Variance
Weeks in Release: 1
Gross: $11,100
Theaters: 2
Average: $5,500
Cumulative Total: $11,100
6. At Any Price
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Weeks in Release: 1
Gross: $16,574
Theaters: 4
Average: $4,144
Cumulative Total: $22,766
The Holdovers
1. Deceptive Practices – The Mentors and Mysteries of Ricky Jay
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Weeks in Release: 2
Gross: $10,500
Theaters: 1 (even with last weekend)
Average: $10,500
Cumulative Total: $35,829
2. In The House
Distributor: Cohen Media Group
Weeks in Release: 2
Gross: $31,117
Theaters: 4 (up from 3)
Average: $7,795
Cumulative Total: $77,357
3. Disconnect
Distributor: LD Entertainment
Weeks in Release: 3
Gross: $262,454
Theaters: 111 (up from 67)
Average: $2,364
Cumulative Total: $770,227
4. Filly Brown
Distributor: Pantelion/Indomina
Weeks in Release: 2
Gross: $565,000
Theaters: 259 (up from 188)
Average: $2,181
Cumulative Total: $2,310,091
5. Renoir
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Weeks in Release: 5
Gross: $129,906
Theaters: 63 (up from 56)
Average: $2,062
Cumulative Total: $859,961
6. Ain’t It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Weeks in Release: 2
Gross: $5,500
Theaters: 3 (up from 1)
Average: $1,833
Cumulative Total: $18,951
7. Blancanieves
Distributor: Cohen Media Group
Weeks in Release: 5
Gross: $20,716
Theaters: 12 (down from 27)
Average: $1,726
Cumulative Total: $191,875
8. The Place Beyond The Pines
Distributor: Focus Features
Weeks in Release: 5
Gross: $2,699,140
Theaters: 1,584 (up from 1,542)
Average: $1,704
Cumulative Total: $16,204,863
9. The Company You Keep
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Weeks in Release: 4
Gross: $1,245,765
Theaters: 807 (up from 83)
Average: $1,544
Cumulative Total: $2,343,910
10. The Sapphires
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Weeks in Release: 6
Gross: $182,000
Theaters: 126 (up from 114)
Average: $1,444
Cumulative Total: $1,418,164
11. From Up on Poppy Hill
Distributor: GKIDS
Weeks in Release: 7
Gross: $51,445
Theaters: 40 (down from 47)
Average: $1,286
Cumulative Total: $797,056
12. Home Run
Distributor: Samuel Goldwun Film
Weeks in Release: 2
Gross: $452,030
Theaters: 371 (down from 381)
Average: $1,218
Cumulative Total: $2,281,330
13. Upstream Color
Distributor: ERBP
Weeks in Release: 4
Gross: $51,670
Theaters: 43 (up from 30)
Average: $1,202
Cumulative Total: $296,726
14. It’s A Disaster
Distributor: Oscilloscope
Weeks in Release: 3
Gross: $10,500
Theaters: 9 (down from 13)
Average: $1,167
Cumulative Total: $57,216
15. No
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Weeks in Release: 11
Gross: $70,965
Theaters: 74 (down from 88)
Average: $959
Cumulative Total: $2,139,192
16. The Lords of Salem
Distributor: Anchor Bay
Weeks in Release: 2
Gross: $178,000
Theaters: 280 (down from 355)
Average: $635
Cumulative Total: $1,033,000
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.