Two weeks ahead of its nationwide release, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans”A platform release was made in New York and Los Angeles this weekend. It grossed approximately $160,000 at four theaters for an average of $40,000 per screen.
That figure is just a few hundred dollars above the $39,655 platform release average of Focus Features’ “Tár” and below the $46,113 of Searchlight’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Though it isn’t the best platform launch among the early Oscar contenders this awards season, Universal said that it had projected a $40,000 average for “The Fabelmans” prior to release and were pleased by the film’s Friday-to-Saturday drop of just 3%, signaling that the film is gaining the kind of word-of-mouth it will need in the weeks ahead.
“With ‘The Fabelmans,’ Steven Spielberg has crafted one of his most personal stories yet, an incredible universal coming of age story that clearly resonated with audiences this weekend earning an A CinemaScore, 96% audience and 95% critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes and we have no doubt the film will captivate audiences throughout the holiday season,” Universal’s domestic distribution president Jim Orr said in a statement.
In September, “The Fabelmans”The coveted audience award was won at the Toronto International Film Festival. This award is given to a film that has been nominated at least for the Best Picture Oscar 12. There have been five Best Picture winners in the past 13 years.
That buzz has made Spielberg’s film a key test as studios and theaters are hoping that late-year awards contenders are still a reliable moneymaker at the box office and are not relegated by the majority of moviegoers to “wait until streaming” status. Spielberg’s previous film, “West Side Story,” bombed last year with $76 million grossed globally against a $100 million budget, a victim of older moviegoer reluctance to head to theaters amidst last winter’s COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak.
Universal hopes that the recent success with its George Clooney/Julia Roberts Romcom will bring Universal more business. “Ticket to Paradise,”Its recent global sales of $150 million against a $60m budget is a sign that older moviegoers are reacting to its efforts in releasing films tailored to their interests. “The Fabelmans”It will be released nationally on Thanksgiving weekend. Universal will also be releasing another award hopeful next weekend. “She Said,”A drama that’s based on Harvey Weinstein’s New York Times investigation is expected to be less than $10,000,000.
Among the holdovers: “The Banshees of Inisherin”It had a good hold when it expanded to more than 960 theaters in its fourth weekend. This added $1.7 million to the $5.8million total. United Artists/Orion’s “Till”The theater count of the movie took off after its release “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”It was increased by $618,000 to reach $8 million.
Focus releases “Tár”And “Armageddon Time”Both saw their totals drop below $500,000 with “Tár”For $4.5 Million, $343,000 was taken from 359 theaters during its sixth weekend. “Armageddon Time”It earned a weaker $352,000 from 961 theatres, making it $1.6 million after just two weekends.