Nearly a year ago, Screengrab’s Bryan Whitefield sang the praises of a little Norwegian stunner called Reprise (Miramax), calling it “modern filmmaking at its most inventive.” As it turns out, somebody was actually listening. Nearly $50,000 worth of somebodies, to be precise. Reprise, directed by Joachim Trier, effortlessly placed first in this weekend’s Indie Box Office, grossing a per-screen average of $16,353 in three venues, and nearly doubling the next-best contender. Expect good word of mouth to help the film’s box office as it expands its release to Chicago, DC, Boston and Minneapolis in the coming weeks.
Following at the heels of Reprise was a trio of documentaries jockeying for the second-place spot. Of the three, the highest-grossing was Christopher Zalla’s immigration-themed Sangre de Mi Sangre (IFC Films). It was followed closely by the Doug Pray’s eccentric surfer profile Surfwise (Magnolia), and America the Beautiful (Arenas Entertainment), a muckraker about the effects that the modeling and fashion industries have on the health of young women. Rounding out the top five was Tarsem’s dark fantasy The Fall (Roadside Attractions).
Also of note this week was the unstoppable Richard Jenkins juggernaut, which carried The Visitor into the top 10 overall for the first time since its release and took its overall grosses upwards of $3 million. Not bad for a sleeper about a bald (although admittedly awesome) character actor learning to play the drum. Could the deafening word of mouth for the film turn Jenkins into an awards-season contender? Stay tuned.
Top 10: Weekend of May 16-18, 2008:
1. Reprise [Miramax] ($16,353 per screen)
2. Sangre de Mi Sangre [IFC Films] ($8,385)
3. Surfwise [Magnolia Pictures] ($6,342)
4. America The Beautiful [Arenas Entertainment] ($6,169)
5. The Fall [Roadside Attractions] ($5,921)
6. Roman De Gare [IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films] ($4,492)
7. Bloodline [Cinema Libre] ($4,292)
8. My Father My Lord [Kino International] ($4,016)
9. Yella [Cinema Guild] ($3,884)
10. Up the Yangtze [Zeitgeist] ($3,659)
Source: IndieWire.
