It’s an exciting weekend for indies film with two surprise global juggernauts by first-time directors who jumped from the internet to the big screen followed in droves by young fans. More traditional independent releases were led by a nice opening for Pressure and a solid expansion by Tuner.
It’s been well reported but noting the two unusual indie horror films, A24’s Backrooms by Kane Parsons and Obsession by Curry Barker, from Focus Features, top the domestic box office with massive numbers.
Focus also opened D-Day drama Pressure at no. 7 with $5.75 million on 1,829 screens. That’s by Anthony Maras starring Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina and Damian Lewis. The film received an A CinemaScore and holds 86% with critics and a 96 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which bodes well for playability with an adult-minded audience in the weeks to come.
In its second weekend, Black Bear’s Tuner by Daniel Roher with Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu expanded to 452 theaters with a solid $1.7 million for the weekend for a $1.8 million cume.The film will continue to expand strategically based its positive exits including its Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 95 and Popcornmeter metric of 94.
Neon’s I Love Boosters from Boots Riley nabbed $1.3 million in week 2 on 1,300 screens for a circa $7.3 million cume.
LIMITED RELEASES: John Carney’s comedy Power Ballad from Lionsgate starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas had an upbeat opening with an estimated $170k from 10 screens in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin and Phoenix.
From 1-2 Special, Time And Water, a National Geographic Documentary Films release by Sara Dosa, is at $8.6k at one NYC location, expands to Los Angeles and San Francisco next weekend.
Kino Lorber opened Argentine psychological drama The Currents at Film at Lincoln Center in NYC to an estimated $8.5k. Expands to LA, Chicago and additional markets on June 5.
EVENT CINEMA: The Met: Live in HD’s final Transmission of the season, Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, grossed close to $1.7 million worldwide, $763k in North American on 800 screens for its Saturday matinee(and close to $1.7 million worldwide).Starring mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and baritone Carlos Álvarez, and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Encore screenings will playin select U.S. cinemas on June 3 and Canadian cinemas on June 20, 22, and 24. Directed for cinema by Gary Halvorson.
The 2026–27 Live in HD season, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, kicks off September 19 with Twenty Years of the Met in Cinemas: An Anniversary Celebration, a special presentation featuring highlights from the company’s collection of more than 185 onscreen performances.