While “Moonlight” continues to be the microbudget-film-that-could following its big Oscar victory, it was a weak post-Oscar weekend for new indie releases at the box office.
The top newcomer, Fox Searchlight’s “Table 19,” only had modest success with $1,575,000 from 868 screens, for an average of $1,815 per screen.
Directed by Jeffrey Blitz, who co-wrote with Jay and Mark Duplass, “Table 19” stars Anna Kendrick as a reluctantly invited wedding guest who is asked to sit at a table with other people whom the happy couple had hoped would have no-showed.
Craig Robinson, June Squibb, Lisa Kudrow, Tony Revolori, and Stephen Merchant also star; with Shaun Levy, Tom McNulty and Mark Roberts producing. The film received negative reviews from critics, scoring just 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
In other limited releases, Israeli film “The Women’s Balcony” grossed just over $18,000 from two theaters, while Bleecker Street’s “The Last Word” grossed $35,000 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles.
“The Last Word” stars Shirley McLaine as domineering businesswoman who employs a young writer named Anne (Amanda Seyfried) to write her obituary in advance. When the obit isn’t to her liking, Harriet drags Anne with her on a mission to change how she will be remembered. The film has received a 44 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and will expand to more major cities next weekend.
Meanwhile, GKIDS’ “My Life as a Zucchini,” which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, expanded to 29 theaters and grossed $44,728 for an average of $1,542 per screen.
The Swiss/French stop-motion film tells the story of Icare, a boy who prefers to be called Courgette, who learns to deal with life in an orphanage after his abusive mother is arrested. The film has received unanimous praise on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 100 percent rating from 46 reviews.