North American distributors are planning a raft of theatrical expansions and re-releases this weekend as they aim to capitalise on Monday’s Oscar nominations.
Universal’s Oppenheimer, which leads the field on 13 nods including best picture, will expand from 254 theatres into more than 1,200 this weekend. Of those screens, more than 300 are Imax, 12 are Imax 70mm, and 18 are standard 70mm.
Christopher Nolan’s historical drama stars Cillian Murphy as the so-called father of the atom bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer and currently stands at $327m in North America since it opened on July 21. Nolan, Murphy and supporting actress Emily Blunt are all in contention for Academy Awards.
Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone earned 11 nominations for its tale of a near-dead woman brought back to life. It expands from 1,400 sites into 2,260 this weekend and will be looking to build on the $20.7m box office grossed since opening on December 8.
Lanthimos, Stone for lead actress and Mark Ruffalo for supporting actor are among the film’s nominations.
Warner Bros plans to re-release Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on Friday January 26 in an as-yet-unspecified number of theatres. The film starring Margot Robbie in the lead role garnered eight nods including supporting actor for Ryan Gosling. It ended 2023 as the highest-performing release at the North American box office on $636m since its July 21 launch.
Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall earned five nods including director and screenplay for Triet (the latter shared with Arthur Harari) and expands through Neon from 25 to 350 sites this weekend (its highest count was 550 in mid November). The drama about a woman accused of murdering her husband opened on October 13 and so far has grossed $3.9m.
Amazon MGM Studios’ satirical American Fiction earned five Oscar nominations including lead actor for Jeffrey Wright and is expanding from 850 into more than 1,500 theatres. Since opening on December 15 it has grossed $8.1m.
Alexander Payne’s comedy drama The Holdovers starring Oscar-nominated lead actor Paul Giamatti and supporting actress contender Da’Vine Joy Randolph picked up five nods. Focus Features will expand the Telluride premiere from 127 into more than 1,235 sites on Friday. Box office stands at $18.8m since the October 27 opening.
Apple announced on Wednesday morning it will re-release Killers Of The Flower Moon in partnership with Paramount Pictures in more than 900 theatres in North America and 1,000 locations overall globally beginning on Friday.
Martin Scorsese’s crime drama earned $67.4m in North America since its October 20 theatrical release and garnered 10 nods including a record 10th director nomination for Scorsese and lead actress recognition for Lily Gladstone. As of January 22 it was playing in 16 theatres after reaching a high of 3,786 in early November.
Of the international feature film nominees, Sony Pictures Classics is planning weekly expansions for its German entry The Teachers’ Lounge with the goal of reaching more than 250 sites by February 9. It opened on December 25, has grossed around $124,000, and is currently playing three sites.
Wim Wenders’ Japanese-language Perfect Days is scheduled to open via Neon on February 2 in New York and Los Angeles.
Cohen Media Group will open Matteo Garrone’s Italian contender and Venice 2023 opening film Io Capitano and has set a February 23 launch in 20-25 markets, expanding throughout the US in March.
A24 plans to re-release Celine Song’s Past Lives on 320 screens this weekend. The romantic drama earned $10.9m from its initial run from June 2 to September 21.
Meanwhile Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust story The Zone Of Interest has grossed $1.6m since opening on December 15 and will be on 300 screens this weekend.
The final Oscar voting window is February 22-27.
No comments yet