SIX TIPS, OR HOW TO PLEASE YOUR SLATE – THE FILMS OF 1/13

[Buscemi2]

As I expected, Skinamarink did outgross The Devil Conspiracy, though neither did very well ($746,000 in 692 theatres against $414,000 in 925 theatres).

Also as I expected, Saint Omer had a bad PTA, averaging just $255 in 245 theatres, with many of those bookings splitting screens with Broker ($297,000 in 271 theatres). This should have been a New York/Los Angeles debut before adding markets in later weeks.

[Screen203]

My favourite screening for the public was The Conjuring 2, when I watched it alone in a big theatres in the middle of the day, in a part of London that was 30 mins away from the "true" story. Lesson leaned: never watch a horror in a large auditorium by yourself.

Shit, that must've been a deeply unnerving experience. Were you caught off guard by being the only one there?

If you think that's bad, I was the only person at the showing of Saint Omer I went to yesterday. It will likely get an Oscar nomination and reviews have been excellent but the PTA numbers will be terrible. Neon seemingly opened it in every Alamo Drafthouse location and at some, such as my local location, it's only playing one matinee a day.

On the other hand, Prey for the Devil somehow did really well here. Of course, said theatre that played it for two months closed for good a few weeks later so maybe they just couldn't get too many new movies (even though M3gan had advance screenings on the final day of business).

I don't think I've ever been in a movie where I was the only one there. Closest I can think of was when I saw Vox Lux and there were only one or two other people there, but I walked out of that so it doesn't really count .

[numbersix]

I also saw Parasite in B&W during lockdown, when cinemas had reopened with no new films. I had only seen the film as a screener just after Cannes, so was happy to see it again on the big screen. Even though it's better in colour.

[Chienfantome]

It's definitely better in colour, yes.
I4ve been alone in a theater 3 or 4 times in my life, and the most recent was in December, for EO. I saw it while it had been released in Paris since October, so I was basically the last one to go see it, it ws in a very small cinema near Montparnasse, I had the cinema for myself.

[transformers2]

My favourite screening for the public was The Conjuring 2, when I watched it alone in a big theatres in the middle of the day, in a part of London that was 30 mins away from the "true" story. Lesson leaned: never watch a horror in a large auditorium by yourself.

Shit, that must've been a deeply unnerving experience. Were you caught off guard by being the only one there?

If you think that's bad, I was the only person at the showing of Saint Omer I went to yesterday. It will likely get an Oscar nomination and reviews have been excellent but the PTA numbers will be terrible. Neon seemingly opened it in every Alamo Drafthouse location and at some, such as my local location, it's only playing one matinee a day.

On the other hand, Prey for the Devil somehow did really well here. Of course, said theatre that played it for two months closed for good a few weeks later so maybe they just couldn't get too many new movies (even though M3gan had advance screenings on the final day of business).

I don't think I've ever been in a movie where I was the only one there. Closest I can think of was when I saw Vox Lux and there were only one or two other people there, but I walked out of that so it doesn't really count .

This is shocking to me. Being alone in a theater every once in a while has always felt like an inevitability when you go regularly. I actually feel like I'm due since a showing of Ron's Gone Wrong in November 2021 was the last time it happened to me.

[transformers2]

3-day Weekend Actuals:
1.Avatar: The Way of Water $32.8 mil
2.M3GAN $18.3 mil
3.Puss in Boots: The Last Wish $14.4 mil (a gain of 7% from last weekend)
4.A Man Called Otto $12.8 mil
5.Plane $10.3 mil (Here's a fun stat that shows how down Lionsgate has been recently: This is their first movie since Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard to have a double digit OW)
6.House Party $4 mil
7.Black Panther: Wakanda Forever $2.5 mil
8.The Whale $1.5 mil
9.I Wanna Dance with Somebody $1.2 mil
10.Waltair Veerayya $1.1 mil

PTA:
1.Avatar: The Way of Water $8,115
2.M3GAN $5,078
3.Puss in Boots: The Last Wish $3,924
4.Turn Every Page $3,905 (4 theaters)
5.Plane $3,396

-A Man Called Otto $3,374
-House Party $2,847

[Screen203]

This is shocking to me. Being alone in a theater every once in a while has always felt like an inevitability when you go regularly. I actually feel like I'm due since a showing of Ron's Gone Wrong in November 2021 was the last time it happened to me.

There have been a few close calls - when I saw Decision To Leave a few months ago, there was hardly anyone there.

[numbersix]

Correction to the PTA list, there, Tranny

Women Talking only got a PTA of $3299 so missed out in the Top 5

[transformers2]

Thanks for the correction. The Numbers pulled a BOM-esque move by not adjusting the theater count from last weekend on the chart and I failed to realize it.