Specialty Film Roundup: Mother Mary, Exit 8, and The Christophers Lead the Pack
A new wave of films hit the specialty scene this week, with Mother Mary, Exit 8, and The Christophers making solid debuts. Mother Mary, a drama starring Anne Hathaway, opened to positive reception, grossing $168k on five screens. The film follows pop icon Mother Mary as she reconnects with her estranged friend on the eve of her comeback concert. Exit 8, based on a popular video game, continued its success with a gross of $669.4k in 510 theaters. The Christophers, a film by Steven Soderbergh, also saw strong numbers in its second week, grossing $596k in 364 theaters.
In the world of documentaries, Focus Features released Lorne, a biographical film about SNL creator Lorne Michaels, which debuted to $270k in 415 theaters. Magenta Light Studios' Fireflies At EL Mozote, a film based on true events, opened to $47k at 39 theaters, while Erupcja from 1-2 Special grossed $25.6k at two theaters. Oscilloscope Laboratories' Mad Bills To Pay, directed by Joel Alfonso Vargas, had a successful debut in NYC, grossing $23k on two screens.
Watermelon Pictures' MÄrama saw $6.3k at the IFC Center, with plans for a slow national expansion starting on May 1st. Palestine '36, another historical drama, crossed the $500k mark with a gross of $60k on 60 screens. In the indie top 10, A Great Awakening continued to perform well, grossing $823.7k on 939 screens in its third week. Busboys, a film about two friends aspiring to be waiters, opened to $1.6 million on 800 screens, while Bhooth Bangle, an Indian horror comedy, debuted with $977k on 500 screens.
Holdover films like Faces Of Death and Fantasy Life also saw continued success, with Faces Of Death grossing $300k on 1,000 screens and Fantasy Life grossing $31k at 66 locations in their respective weeks. The specialty film scene continues to offer a diverse range of stories and genres for audiences to enjoy.