‘Origin’ Finds Its Roots With Strong Opening For Ava DuVernay Film – Specialty Box Office

Ava DuVernay’s Origin’s theatrical debut grossed a solid $875k on 130 screens with a $7k per-theater average said to be better than Neon anticipated.

The distributor is “thrilled” with the number.

“Working in close collaboration with Ava and her team at Array we’ve built a multi-tiered release plan that began with a high-profile December qualifying run in NY and LA taking full advantage of the Awards corridor, and now expanding nationally in a less crowded marketplace, priming Origin for wider cross-over appeal,” said Neon distribution chief Elissa Federoff.

“It’s heartwarming to see this film connecting with audiences,” she added.

The film starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is based on The New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 book Caste. Her exploration of the historical roots of racism in ways that it’s not quite ever been done before, was a bestseller.

Its short qualifying run in December took in $117k on just two screens.

The audience shows a nice split between men and women, Black, White and Asian viewers. It’s bringing in the over-30 demo, activists and cinephiles.

As Deadline reported, Neon will expand Origin to 500-700 locations next month accompanied (from the start) by an impact campaign bringing the film to young people and educators.

On to Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things in week seven (seven!) on 1,400 screens for a $2 million weekend and a $20.3 million cume. The Yorgos Lanthimos-directed, Emma Stone-starring awards magnet expands to top 1,800 theaters next week. By midweek, Searchlight predicted, will be the third-highest limited release opening post-Covid following Everything, Everywhere All At Once ($77.2M) and Priscilla ($20.9M).

Fun fact: On Friday, Poor Things grossed $16.9k at the AMC Lincoln Square alone.

Also, noting that Amazon MGM Studios’ American Fiction grossed $1.8 million in week six at 850 runs for a cume of $8 million

Alternative Engagement: The Imax release of remastered Queen Rock Montreal concert (1981) on 387 big screens saw a weekend debut of $2 million.

Other specialty releases: Christian Carion’s Driving Madeleine from Cohen Media Group took in $45k for the weekend in 50 locations in week two. Cume is $75k.

Rilato Pictures’ release of the new cut of Francis Ford Coppola’s One From The Heart: Reprise will gross $11k this weekend on two screens, IFC Center in New York City and Alamo Drafthouse DTLA in Los Angeles.

Slice of Pie’s Pasang: In The Shadow of Everest grossed $4.5k in two theaters

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