B.O. 'Photo' finish
Williams pic rules N.Y. niche; 'Girl' good
The Robin Williams starrer was the hottest ticket at United Artists' Union Square cinema, where it racked up a staggering $85,807, giving the pic the highest per-theater count of all films screening in the New York theatrical marketplace. At that venue, pic far outgrossed the nation's current B.O. leader, "Signs."
"One Hour Photo" also developed $53,589 at Sony's Lincoln Square at 68th Street, an uptown venue where specialty pics play on par with or better than studio fare.
"Without a doubt, the biggest sensation that came down this weekend in New York was 'One Hour Photo,' " said Focus Features distribution topper Jack Foley.
Fox Searchlight also continues to score with Jennifer Aniston starrer "The Good Girl," which took in $125,338 from eight Manhattan theaters for an energetic average of $15,667 per screen.
Film performed especially well at the Angelika Film Center, where it nabbed $25,255. It also gained a stellar $18,938 at the Times Square Empire 25, suggesting the viability of the venue for specialty fare (it plays primarily studio pics) and "Good Girl's" crossover potential.
Labor Day workout
Film has cumed $1.6 million from 188 playdates nationwide. It heads to more than 600 theaters over the Labor Day weekend.
Third place for a specialty pic in Gotham went to IFC's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," with the crowdpleaser singing to $97,772 from 10 venues. Now in its 19th week of release, pic has national numbers that are off the charts: a $7.6 million weekend good for fourth place at the overall box office, a $64 million cume, a rising per-screen average ($5,702) and magical word of mouth.
In its second week, Focus' "Possession" was the fourth highest-grossing specialty pic in Gotham, with $93,335 from nine venues; screen average was $10,371. Pic nabbed $19,160 at the Lincoln Square, perhaps hurt a bit by the success of "One Hour Photo," which plays to a similar demographic. Neil LaBute drama's highest per-screen cume came at the Union Square with $23,363.
The top four specialty pics were among the top 10 films released in Manhattan venues during the frame.
Paramount Classics' "Mostly Martha" dropped 10% at the Paris Theater to $19,100; it's playing less well to the younger, downtown crowd at the Angelika, where it made $15,508.
'Tadpole' makes splash
Miramax's Gary Winick-helmed "Tadpole" dropped 20% at Dan Talbot's Lincoln Plaza, where it grossed a healthy $9,242. Pic's cume is just north of $2 million.
Zeitgeist release "Satin Rouge," in its first weekend, wowed with $14,619 at the downtown Quad Theater.
Cowboy's Kurosawa/Mifune Festival, which this weekend unveiled "Yojimbo" and "Redbeard," continues to entice the art crowd to the Film Forum, where seats have been hard to get. Weekend gross was $12,640.
United Artists' "24 Hour Party People" looks to be headed for a long run at East Village's Sunshine Theater, where it drew $16,212, a 37% drop. ThinkFilms' Italo import "The Last Kiss," in its second week at the Sunshine, took in $11,434, a 21% drop from the previous weekend. Palm/Magic Lamp's "Sex and Lucia" scored $8,360 at the Sunshine; Spanish pic's cume is $836,151 from 33 screens nationwide.
Elsewhere in Gotham, Kino's "Metropolis" reissue, now at the Ziegfeld, reaped just $9,237 at the massive venue. Newcomer "Amy's Orgasm," released by Magic Lamp, lured $9,750 from a single site, the Angelika. In its first weekend, New Yorker Films' "How I Killed My Father," playing at the Sunshine and the Lincoln Plaza, pulled in a mere $2,604 and $4,538, respectively.
Lot 47's "The Fast Runner," screening at two Gotham venues in a one-show-per-day arrangement, grossed $78,567 on 47 nationwide screens for an impressive $2,171,377 domestic cume.
