Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning in The Runaways (top); Noomi Rapace in Niels Arden Oplev's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (middle); Ben Stiller in Noah Baumbach's Greenberg (bottom)
The Kristen Stewart-Dakota Fanning vehicle The Runaways, the IMAX documentary Hubble 3D, the Noah Baumbach-Ben Stiller collaboration Greenberg, the Swedish crime thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Raymond De Felitta's comedy City Island, and Marco Bellocchio's historical drama Vincere were the films opening in limited release this weekend in the United States.
Among those, The Runaways posted the highest gross, $803K — but the rock biopic also had the highest number of screens by far: 244. As a result, its $3,291 per screen average was — also by far — the lowest. Though not exactly "poor," the Runaways average was below par especially for a movie in limited release; it doesn't bode all that well for the Floria Sigismondi-directed effort, which opens wide in April.
At only 39 screens, Hubble 3D earned $453K for a $11,615 average. That, of course, has been helped by higher 3D/IMAX ticket prices.
At 3 screens, Greenberg, the tale of a New Yorker who moves to Los Angeles following a mid-life crisis, grossed an impressive $120K for an equally impressive $40K per screen average. So far this year, only Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer has opened to better per-screen figures.
Does that mean Greenberg will become a major arthouse hit? Well, not necessarily. After five weeks, The Ghost Writer has taken in $6.8 million even though it's now playing at more than 800 screens. Baumbach's own Margot at the Wedding also opened to huge per-screen figures only to gross a paltry $1.9 million back in 2007.
(Via indieWIRE: The ugly feud between respected Village Voice critic J. Hoberman and the New York Press' Armond White, who, in his [negative] review of Greenberg, accuses Hoberman of offering “traitorous praise” to Paul Greengrass' Iraq War thriller Green Zone, which, according to White, is "encouraging insurrection in the American military.")
Starring European Film Award nominee Noomi Rapace as a computer hacker assisting a disgraced journalist (Michael Nyqvist) crack a decades-old case, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo grossed an impressive $340K at 34 screens, averaging a solid $10K.
City Island, winner of the Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, took in $35K at two screens. Average per screen: $17,500, which is fine but hardly downright amazing for a movie playing at only two screens. The family comedy-drama stars Alan Arkin, Julianna Margulies, and Andy Garcia.
At two New York houses, Marco Bellocchio's well-regarded Vincere grossed a passable $18K, for a $9K average. Had it been playing at 50 or 100 screens, that average would have been really good. But at only two screens, it's really not all that great. A drama about Benito Mussolini's mistress and son, Vincere stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi.
Photos: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Music Box Films); The Runaways (Apparition); Greenberg (Focus Features)
Source: Box Office Mojo
I also saw the Runaway's it was great. Dakota and Kristen are surprisingly good. There was no Bella or Kristen in her portrayal of Joan Jett. I think based on this portrayal and since I read all three Millinium books based on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Kristen should be the front runner for the part of Lisbeth Salander. That will be an award winning part and Kristen could own this roll. I must say I didn't think so before I saw the Runaways. But she really surprised me.
I have seen the Runaways and absolutely loved it. The R restriction doesn't help with the audience. The director is brilliant.