Ari Aster’s ‘Beau Is Afraid’ Expansion Sees $2.7 Million Weekend – Specialty Box Office

Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid did decent business in its second week, expanding from four screens to well over 900 for a gross of $2.7+ million and a cume of $3.14 million. The A24 film starring Joaquin Phoenix has a $2.8k per screen average and no. 9 spot. It’s a weekend with a wide range of specialty films in a market that’s improving by some measures — some more product, some stronger openings — but still hard to read amid the blockbusters.

Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) has a committed fan base and a core group of theaters carried the weekend. This film is a tougher sell than the previous two, also from A24. Beau “has already sparked countless passionate debates and discourse from critics and audiences alike,” the distributor said, and, like all of Aster’s films, it “will have a long life in the weeks, months, and years to come.”  

Somewhere in Queens from Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions grossed $681k at 602 locations for a $1.1k PSA. The Ray Romano film with Romano and Laurie Metcalf had some strong runs in NY and significant jump Fri. to Sat.($189k to $290k). RT audience score of 90% and is 94% with critics.

Fox Searchlight’s period film Chevalier took in and estimated $1.5 million from 1,275 theaters, the no. 11 spot and a PTA of $1.17k.

Other People’s Children from Music Box Films debuted in three locations to $14.8k for a PTA of $4,937. 

Carmen from Sony Pictures Classics is looking at an opening weekend of $12.8k and PTA of $4.2k.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jann from Zee studios will gross an estimated strong $968k at 327 locations for a PSA of $3K PSA. And Sarigama Cinema’ Virupaksha is heading to a robust $706k at 175 locations for a $4.2K PSA.

Holdovers: Wild Life from Picturehouse grossed $44k on 14 screens for a cume of $112k and a $3.1k per theater average. A younger audience of outdoor enthusiasts and fans of director/climber Jimmy Chin and co-director Chai Vasarhelyi joined an older female skewing audience that follow conservationist Kris Tompkins. Adds ten more locations this week.

Oscilloscope’s Joyland grossed $39k in week three on eight screens — PSA of $4.9 — for a cume of $85k. Expansion included LA’s Landmark Nuart where it recorded the biggest opening for any film (foreign or otherwise) by a significant margin since the start of the pandemic, said the distrib.