‘Boundaries’ Has Tepid Indie Box Office Launch After Peter Fonda Tweets
Sony Pictures Classics film made headlines after Fonda’s Twitter rant aimed at Melania and Barron Trump
Jeremy Fuster | June 24, 2018 @ 11:55 AM
Last Updated: June 24, 2018 @ 3:09 PM
Sony Pictures Classics
After it made headlines in Hollywood for the wrong reasons, Sony Pictures Classics’ “Boundaries” is off to a tepid start at the indie box office, as it opened on five screens this weekend. Directed by Shana Feste and starring Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer, the film has made $30,395 for a per screen average of $6,079.
This past week, Peter Fonda, who has a minor role in the film, posted an angry Twitter rant aimed towards President Donald Trump and his wife and son, Melania and Barron, that was a knee-jerk response to the White House’s family separation policy towards undocumented migrants and asylum seekers.
“We should rip Barron Trump from his mother’s arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles,” the actor wrote in a tweet that he later deleted. “And see if mother will stand up against the giant a-hole she is married to.”
Fonda later apologized for the tweet, but it still drew an angry response from Donald Trump Jr., who pointed out Fonda’s role in “Boundaries.”
“I wonder if they will apply the same rules to [Fonda] that they did to Roseanne,” Trump Jr. tweeted, referring to the cancellation of Roseanne Barr’s ABC show following a racially charged tweet. “I have a strange suspicion that they wont [sic] do anything.”
Trump Jr.’s tweet and the subsequent furor from conservatives prompted a statement from Sony Pictures Classics saying they condemned Fonda’s remarks as “abhorrent, reckless and dangerous,” but adding that removing his small role from the film days before release “would unfairly penalize the filmmaker Shana Feste’s accomplishment, the many actors, crew members and other creative talent that worked hard on the project.”
“Boundaries” stars Farmiga as Laura, a single mother whose estranged, pot-selling father Jack (Plummer) comes back into her life after he’s kicked out of his retirement home. Laura agrees to drive him south to live with her sister in Los Angeles but, along the way, Jack convinces his grandson, Henry, to help him sell off the rest of his marijuana stash to some old friends, including one played by Fonda. The film had a mixed reception from critics with a 58 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
Elsewhere, Magnolia’s “Damsel” performed only slightly better than “Boundaries,” grossing $21,000 from three screens for a $7,000 average. Directed by David and Nathan Zellner, the subversive western stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska as a rich pioneer and his wife-to-be on a voyage that becomes treacherous and blurs the line between hero and damsel. The film has an 80 percent RT score.
Magnolia’s big summer hit, “RBG,” continues to perform well-above its weight. After crossing the $10 million mark last weekend, the film added $425,000 from 203 screens in its eighth weekend to bring its total to $10.8 million. The other big documentary in theaters, Focus’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” added $1.875 million in its third weekend from 348 screens, keeping it in the top 10 and bringing its total to $4.1 million.
On the MoviePass front, The Orchard’s “American Animals” passed the $1 million mark in its third weekend, adding $576,000 as it expanded to 336 screens to bring its total to $1.4 million. But Vertical Entertainment’s “Gotti” continues to crash, making $812,000 from 466 screens in its second weekend. That leaves it with a per screen average of $1,742 and a 10-day total of $3.2 million.
UPDATE: A previous version of this story erroneously attributed Magnolia Pictures’ “Damsel” as a Focus Features release. This has been corrected.
30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide
A look at top animated moneymakers as of June 2018, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
30. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" (2008)
Worldwide Gross: $603,900,354
This 2008 sequel scored big returns for the Dreamworks animal franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
29. "Ratatouille" (2007)
Worldwide Gross: $620,702,951
Director Brad Bird mixed a love of gourmet French cuisine with talking rodents in the 2007 fancy feast.
Pixar Animation Studios
28. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (2014)
Worldwide Gross: $631,537,519
Dreamworks' 2014 sequel upped the ante with bigger dragons and longer flight sequences.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
27. "Kung Fu Panda" (2008)
Worldwide Gross: $631,744,560
The success of Jack Black's 2008 martial arts-meet-spongy mammal movie set into motion its inevitable -- and even more profitable -- sequel.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
26. "The Incredibles" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734
In 2004, Brad Bird's first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.
Pixar Animation Studios
25. "Sing" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679
Illumination's animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
24. "Moana" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111
Disney's Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "How Far I'll Go."
Disney
23. "Big Hero 6" (2014)
Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612
Disney's 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar's heart.
Disney Animation Studios
22. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780
Fox's 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.
Twentieth Century Fox
21. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)
Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281
With the franchise's skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
20. "Up" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082
The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.
Pixar Animation Studios
19. "Monsters University" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437
Ten years after the release of "Monsters Inc," Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.
Pixar Animation Studios
18. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274
DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012's third installment.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
17. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867
The big green ogre's final chapter dropped in 2010.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
16. "Shrek the Third" (2007)
Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162
Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
15. "Coco" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $806,729,652
Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone's hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
Disney/Pixar
14. "Inside Out" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174
Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
Disney/Pixar
13. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)
Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937
Universal/Illumination's story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it's predecessor.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
11."Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $886,686,817
While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox's "Ice Age" franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
10. "Shrek 2" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758
DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful "Shrek" franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
9. "Finding Nemo" (2003)
Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536
"Finding Nemo" was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company's place as the titans of modern animation.
Pixar Studios
8. "The Lion King" (1994)
Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777
Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?
Disney Animation Studios
7. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885
Illumination's sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming "Minions" spin-off into motion.
Illumination Studios
6. "Zootopia" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195
Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.
Disney
5. "Finding Dory" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889
The sequel to "Finding Nemo" swam right back into audience's hearts.
Pixar
4. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409
Illumination's follow-up -- featuring Gru's blond-haired brother -- became the franchise's biggest grosser.
3. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703
Built on Pixar's critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.
Pixar Studios
2. "Minions" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $1,167,245,366
The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" for Universal Pictures.
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
1. "Frozen" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $1,274,219,009
Disney's 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn't let go...
Disney Animation Studios
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Cartoon characters that cleaned up at the global box office, from “The Lion King” to “Coco”
A look at top animated moneymakers as of June 2018, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.