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‘Strange Darling’, ‘Between The Temples’ & ‘Coraline’ Boost Specialty Box Office
Serial killer thriller Strange Darling and poignant comedy Between The Temples had impressive debuts this weekend, while the re-release of Coraline continued its strong performance, along with other notable holdovers like Didi and Sing Sing.
Magenta Light Studios’ Strange Darling — a twisted tale where a one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s rampage — debuted to $1.14 million at 1,135 theaters, according to Comscore. Directed by JT Mollner, the slasher film stars Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley Jr., and Barbara Hershey, with Giovanni Ribisi also making his debut as a cinematographer.
This promising start for Strange Darling marks another achievement for veteran producer Bob Yari, who formed Magenta Light Studios earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Classics’ Between The Temples saw a robust $677.9k opening across 576 screens. Directed by Nathan Silver, the film stars Jason Schwartzman as a cantor grappling with the loss of his voice and possibly his faith. His life takes an unexpected turn when his newly retired high school voice teacher, portrayed by Carol Kane, becomes his adult bat mitzvah student.
Coraline 15th Anniversary from Fathom Events is projecting a three-day weekend haul of over $5 million, bringing its cumulative total to $22.5 million across 1,472 screens. The rerelease of Henry Selick’s 2009 dark and creative animated film from Laika Studios, based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, ranks at number 7 at the domestic box office.
Holdovers also showed sustained strength. Sony Pictures Classics’ Kneecap, a hybrid feature-documentary about an Irish rap trio, crossed the $1 million mark. Directed by Rich Peppiatt, the film grossed $27k on 34 screens in its fourth week.
Sundance award-winner Didi from Focus Features and A24’s Sing Sing continue their successful runs. Directed by Sean Wang and starring Joan Chen, Didi earned an estimated $471k over the weekend at 435 locations, bringing its total to $3.6 million in its fifth week. The film continues to perform particularly well in New York and LA.
Similarly, Greg Kwedar’s prison drama Sing Sing, starring Colman Domingo, earned $242k this weekend on 191 screens, pushing its cumulative total to $1.59 million since its release on July 19.
Metrograph’s debut feature Good One, directed by India Donaldson, expanded to 31 theaters across 13 markets, grossing $52.2k in its third weekend. This brings its total to $157.2k, with plans to roll out to 22 more markets next weekend.
Roadside Attractions’ My Penguin Friend by David Schurmann grossed $454k over three days across 877 screens, with a cumulative total surpassing $2 million in its second week.
The quirky Alpine horror film Cuckoo from Neon, starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, earned $177k on 250 screens, making its cumulative total $6.05 million in its third week. Meanwhile, Neon’s highest-grossing domestic film Longlegs featuring Nicolas Cage continues to perform well. In its seventh week, it earned $321k across 375 screens, bringing its total to a whopping $78.6 million.
