Along with the plethora of wide releases, select movie theaters also got a boost from several specialty releases trying to take advantage of the holiday season. Leading the limited release pack is Neon/CJ Entertainment’s “No Other Choice,” which opened in 13 theaters in five cities and earned a four-day total of $625,656 for a per theater average of $48,127.
Directed by Park Chan-wook, the critically acclaimed satire is an adaptation Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax” and stars Lee Byung-hun as Man-su, a veteran employee at a paper company who loses his job. Desperate to keep his family in his childhood home, Man-su sees only one way to ensure he gets a job at another paper company: murder.
Earning critical acclaim at its Venice Film Festival premiere, “No Other Choice” has received three Golden Globe nominations and is South Korea’s selection for the Best International Film Oscar.
Also opening on four screens in New York and Los Angeles is Searchlight’s “The Testament of Ann Lee,” which grossed $111,000 over four days for a $27,750 average. The film stars Amanda Seyfried in a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award-nominated performance as Ann Lee, the leader of the radical 18th century Christian movement known as the Shakers, which preached abstinence as a core tenet and believed that God would return to humanity as a woman.
Searchlight also expanded Bradley Cooper’s dramedy “Is This Thing On?” to 33 theaters in 10 cities, adding $203,000 over the 3-day period for a $6,151 average and a running total of $511,000. Neon’s “The Secret Agent” added $290,000 in its fifth weekend for a $1.43 million total.
Of course, the big specialty hit of the weekend was A24’s “Marty Supreme,” which after earning the best limited opening in nine years last week earned a 4-day wide opening of $27 million for a $30.1 million total. Its $18.5 million 3-day opening is the second highest ever for A24 behind last year’s $25 million opening for Alex Garland’s “Civil War.”
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