The new serial killer thriller, “Strange Darling” had a decent debut this weekend, bringing in $1.14 million at 1,135 theaters. Directed by JT Mollner, the film stars Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley Jr., and Barbara Hershey. The story follows a twisted one-night stand that escalates into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree. Giovanni Ribisi also makes his debut as the cinematographer. The film is a production of Magenta Light Studios, formed by veteran producer Bob Yari earlier this year.
Poignant Comedy Release
Alongside “Strange Darling,” Sony Pictures Classics released “Between The Temples,” a poignant comedy directed by Nathan Silver. The film had a nice opening weekend with $677.9k on 576 screens. Starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, the movie follows the story of a cantor losing his voice and faith, whose life takes a turn when his high school voice teacher becomes his adult bat mitzvah student. The film received positive buzz at Sundance when it premiered.
The re-release of Henry Selick’s 2009 animated film, “Coraline,” continues to perform well at the box office. The Fathom Events projection for the three-day weekend is expected to be over $5 million, bringing the total to $22.5 million on 1,472 screens. Based on the novella by Neil Gaiman, the dark and creative film has been a success with audiences.
Other films that continue to do well at the box office include SPC’s “Kneecap,” a Sundance acquisition about an Irish rap trio which crossed the $1 million mark. Additionally, “Didi” from Focus Features and “Sing Sing” from A24 are both experiencing successful rollouts. “Didi,” starring Joan Chen, has an estimated $471k weekend at 435 locations, while “Sing Sing,” starring Colman Domingo, has reached $242k for the weekend on 191 screens.
Metrograph’s debut feature “Good One” by India Donaldson expanded to 31 theaters in 13 markets, grossing $52.2k in its third week and reaching a total of $157.2k. Roadside Attractions’ “My Penguin Friend” by David Schurmann brought in $454k on 877 screens for a total of over $2 million in its second week. Neon’s quirky Alpine horror film, “Cuckoo,” starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, has reached $177k on 250 screens in its third week.
Overall, the box office continues to see success with a variety of new releases and holdovers performing well. The industry is showing resilience despite challenges, with audiences continuing to support a range of genres and stories. As the summer continues, it will be interesting to see how these films fare and what new surprises the box office will bring.