The pace of indie releases is slowing as it does this time of year before awards crush. So it’s nice to have Mubi’s The History of Sound. The Cannes-premiering film by Oliver Hermanus (Living) starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor is at an estimated $320k from 552 theaters in a big week two expansion, for a cume of $439k. It had a strong $86k debut last week at four theaters in New York and LA. Certified at 83% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
In 1917, Lionel (Mescal), a young, talented music student, meets David (O’Connor) at the Boston Conservatory, where a connection over a deep love of music leads to a fleeting love affair. They reconnect years later, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional folk songs. The unexpected reunion and the music they preserve will shape the course of Lionel’s life for decades to come.
Among wider releases, Angel Studios’ Michale Chiklis-starring The Senior opened at no. 7 with a $2.77 million weekend on 2,405 screens. A Certified 95% with RT audiences.
Fathom Entertainment’s Sight & Sound Presents: NOAH! – Live had a $1.39 million opening weekend on 933 screens for a $1.6 million cume, according to Comscore. The special 30th anniversary celebration of Sight & Sound’s live production of one of the world’s best-known voyages is no. 9 at the domestic box office.
Limited openings: Predators, the Sundance-premiering exploration of reality TV series To Catch A Predator and its modern imitators, opened to $7.25k at the Film Forum in NYC. The MTV Documentary Films release by David Osit, at 98% with RT critics off 44 reviews, reported multiple sellouts for evening shows. Robust expansion and awards campaign to come with engagements in LA and San Francisco next weekend, expanding to the top 25 markets in early October.
Oscilloscope Laboratories opened Bernhard Wenger’s debut feature Peacock, also to some sold out screenings, with $5.2k at New York’s Metrograph theater. The satire, Austria’s Oscar selection, premiered at Venice Critics’ Week in 2024. Albrecht Schuch (All Quiet On The Western Front) stars as Mattias, whose job at a rent-a-friend agency impinges on his ability to forge authentic relationships.
Holdovers: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale from Focus Feature saw a second weekend gross of $6.3 million on 3,711 screens for a cume of $31.6 million. It’s tied for fourth place with Lionsgate’s The Long Walk, also in week 2.
Spinal Tap II – The End Continues from Bleecker Street — the hilarious follow to Rob Reiner’s cult 1984 original This Is Spinal Tap — is looking at a $373k weekend on 1,326 screens for a cume of $2.5 million in week 2.