The two Oscar contenders that have dominated the indie box office, Fox Searchlight’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and A24’s “Lady Bird,” continued to fire on all cylinders as they continued their expansion, with both films cracking the top 10 among all movies this weekend.
In its second weekend, “Three Billboards” expanded to 53 screens and grossed $1.11 million for a per screen average of $21,038. “Lady Bird,” meanwhile, continued its own strong run by expanding to 238 screens in its third weekend and making $2.5 million for a PSA of $10,630 and a cume of $4.7 million. “Lady Bird” will expand nationwide for Thanksgiving weekend.
Among new releases, Columbia’s “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” had a solid four-screen opening this weekend, making $65,000 for a $16,250 PSA. Directed and written by Dan Gilroy, the film stars Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell. The film received mixed reviews with a 55 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
Also opening this weekend on three screens is GKIDS’ “The Breadwinner,” which posted a decent $19,530 for a $6,510 PSA. The animated film stars Saara Chaudry as Parvana, an Afghan girl who must disguise herself as a boy in order to provide for her mother and sister after her father is unjustly arrested by the Taliban. Nora Twomey, director of the Oscar-nominated “The Secret of Kells,” directed this film from a script by Anita Doron and Deborah Ellis, with Angelina Jolie as executive producer. It currently has an 89 percent RT score.
Among holdovers, the National Geographic documentary “Jane” passed the $1 million mark in its fifth weekend with $119,161 from 84 screens, while Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions’ “Wonderstruck” is close to that mark after making $57,265 from 114 screens for a $977,988 total. Finally, A24’s “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is nearing the $2 million mark with $190,467 from 110 screens to push its total to $1.95 million.