Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid did decent business in its second week, expanding from four screens to well over 900 for a gross of $2.7+ million and a cume of $3.14 million.
The A24 film starring Joaquin Phoenix has a $2.8k per screen average and no. 9 spot. It’s a weekend with a wide range of specialty films in a market that’s improving by some measures — some more product, some stronger openings — but still hard to read amid the blockbusters.
Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) has a committed fan base and a core group of theaters carried the weekend. This film is a tougher sell than the previous two, also from A24.
Beau “has already sparked countless passionate debates and discourse from critics and audiences alike,” the distributor said, and, like all of Aster’s films, it “will have a long life in the weeks, months, and years to come.” Somewhere in Queens from Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions grossed $681k at 602 locations for a $1.1k PSA.
Read more on deadline.com