The independent film market is buzzing with excitement, showcasing a captivating mix of awards contenders, regional cinema, anime compilations, and intriguing remakes. Among these highlights are the Bollywood thriller "Dhurandhar," along with the thought-provoking films "Eternity" and "Hamnet." The weekend box office also saw the return of the infamous slasher antagonist in "Silent Night, Deadly Night," while Neon’s engaging film "The Secret Agent" continued to perform robustly. As the holiday season approaches, audiences flocked to theaters filled with major studio releases and family-friendly films.
In terms of new releases, Mike P. Nelson's reimagining of the cult classic "Silent Night, Deadly Night"—originally released in 1984—has made waves, projected to earn around $1.1 million from its showings across 1,640 theaters.
Additionally, Bryan Fuller’s chilling narrative "Dust Bunny," featuring the talents of Mads Mikkelsen and Sophie Sloan, debuted impressively with $339,000 from 402 screens. Meanwhile, Cinegalaxy introduced the Telugu film "Akhanda 2: Thaandavam," which grossed $366,000 from 300 theaters, according to Comscore data.
Among other limited releases, Janus Films premiered "Resurrection" directed by Bi Gan on just three screens, where it managed to earn $64,200, translating to an impressive $21,400 per screen average. This film marks one of the first significant Chinese releases in the U.S. since the pandemic began, and the director engaged audiences with sold-out Q&A sessions in both New York City and Los Angeles.
Another noteworthy debut was "Atropia," a Sundance award-winning film directed by Hailey Benton Gates, which opened to an estimated $9,000 at NYC’s IFC Center. In its second week, the distributor’s film "Rosemead," starring Lucy Liu, collected $29,000 at LA’s AMC Century City, bringing its cumulative total to $85,000. It has emerged as one of the top performers this weekend, with several screenings selling out, including a special Q&A event hosted by Geena Davis.
Continuing to hold strong, "Dhurandhar" from Moviegoers Entertainment ranked fourth over its second weekend, drawing in $3.45 million across 377 screens, leading to a total gross of $7.89 million, as per Comscore. This Hindi spy thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar and featuring Ranveer Singh, intricately weaves the lives of various criminals, informants, and operatives.
In the realm of anime, GKids’ "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution" landed sixth place in its second week, earning $2.1 million from 1,350 screens and achieving a cumulative total of $14.5 million.
From A24, "Eternity" by David Freyne collected $1.77 million from 2,067 screens in its third week, pushing its overall earnings close to $13 million. Meanwhile, Chloé Zhao’s "Hamnet," released by Focus Features, maintained a steady performance, netting $1.5 million from 749 locations for a total of $7 million, with plans for a wider release in January. The film continues to resonate well with audiences, boasting a 92% score from viewers and an 87% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony Pictures Classics’ musical "Merrily We Roll Along" is projected to earn $248,400 from 330 screens in its second week, accumulating $2.2 million overall. This production, directed by Maria Friedman, features stars Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez.
Lastly, Neon’s "The Secret Agent," directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, grossed $234,000 from just 43 screens in its third week, totaling $488,000 to date.
On the event cinema front, The Met: Live in HD presented a Saturday transmission of Giordano’s "Andrea Chénier," which generated $524,000 across approximately 800 screens. Conducted by Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni, and featuring the talents of soprano Sonya Yoncheva and tenor Piotr Beczała, the opera will have encore screenings in select U.S. cinemas on December 17.
