By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Disney's "Moana" has continued to sit pretty atop the box office for its third consecutive weekend, but Damien Chazelle's musical "La La Land" was what really had audiences singing this weekend.
Playing in only five theaters, the lively and well-reviewed "La La Land" grossed a staggering $855,000 for Lionsgate, according to studio estimates Sunday. Its $171,000 per theater average is an all-time high for a five-theater release and for 2016 in general.
According to exit polls, 52 percent of audiences were female and 53 percent were over age 30.
"We felt like we were going to have a strong opening, but I don't think anyone would have predicted a result this big," said David Spitz, Lionsgate's president of domestic theatrical distribution.
The film cost a reported $30 million to make and has been gaining buzz throughout the fall since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and continued wowing critics and audiences at various other festivals. It recently picked up the best picture award from the New York Film Critics Circle and is expected to be a major awards contender this year. Its first big mainstream boost could come as early as Monday when nominations are announced for the Golden Globe awards
Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, "La La Land" expands to 200 locations next week.
Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for box office tracker comScore, called the "La La Land" showing "astounding."
"This is the hottest ticket in town, and now people want to be able to talk about the movie. The availability is quite limited, but that will result in a crescendo," he said. "This is a movie that is tailor made for that platform release … (it) is a real breath of fresh air, and I think it's going to take off for many reasons."
It was mostly business as usual among wide releases, with "Moana" in first with $18.8 million, followed by the Jennifer Aniston comedy "Office Christmas Party," which debuted to $17.5 million – a quiet moment before "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" opens next weekend.
The rest of the top five looked similar to the past few weeks, with the Harry Potter spinoff "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" in third with $10.8 million, bringing its domestic grosses to $199.3 million. The Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner sci-fi pic "Arrival" held on in fourth with $5.6 million, while Disney and Marvel's "Doctor Strange" added $4.6 million to take fifth place.
The Jessica Chastain lobbying thriller "Miss Sloane," meanwhile, fizzled in its wide expansion, earning $1.9 million from 1,648 locations.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Moana," $18.8 million ($23.5 million international).
2."Office Christmas Party," $17.5 million ($16.4 million international).
3."Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," $10.8 million ($33.1 million international).
4."Arrival," $5.6 million ($5.6 million international.)
5."Doctor Strange," $4.6 million ($1.6 million international).
6."Allied," $4 million ($4.8 million international).
7."Nocturnal Animals," $3.2 million ($1.2 million international).
8."Manchester by the Sea," $3.2 million.
9."Trolls," $3.1 million ($4 million international).
10."Hacksaw Ridge," $2.3 million ($15 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," $33.1 million.
2. "Moana," $23.5 million.
3. "Office Christmas Party," $16.4 million.
4. "Hacksaw Ridge," $15 million.
5. "Your Name," $14.8 million.
6. "Sully," $13.6 million.
7. "Sing," $9.6 million.
8. "Underworld: Blood Wars," $9.2 million.
9. "Pandora," $8.5 million.
10. "Arrival," $5.6 million.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More