This weekend represents 89 percent of the same weekend in 2019 and puts our comparative four-week survey at 82 percent. It will decline the rest of the month; two years ago, this was Halloween weekend , which traditionally lacks top new films. It now appears that the full month could be close to 80 percent in relation to 2019. If this level is sustained in coming months, it will signal a better-than-expected recovery for theaters. ©Searchlight Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

More good news is the outstanding performance of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.” Opening in 52 theaters in 14 markets, it looks to gross $1.3 million, with an average of $25,000 per theater. This is the first real signal that older, art-house audiences are ready to return, at least for certain films. Related ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Continues Surge, Most Other New Titles Swoon as Holiday Nears End ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Could Reach $600 Million Domestic, $2 Billion Worldwide Related 51 Directors’ Favorite Horror Movies: Bong Joon Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, and More New Movies: Release Calendar for December 23, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films
Although “Dune” is only the fourth best opening gross this month, it’s a good result. The closest comparable film is director Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” in 2018, another expensive science-fiction cult property that film opened to $34 million at a time of theatrical exclusivity and no resistance to moviegoing. “Dune” also opened against more in-theater competition. It is the best Warners opening of the year. This month’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (Sony), “No Time to Die” (United Artists), and “Halloween Kills” (Universal) all had stronger openings and,  based on initial audience demographic surveys, stronger appeal. Bigger grosses demand a younger and racially diverse audience and “Dune” is fighting for a smaller piece of potential ticket buyers while also available to HBO Max subscribers. Decent reviews for “Dune” were actually not as strong as “Blade Runner 2094.” Credit Warner Bros. with an excellent marketing job in difficult circumstances, and IMAX for its strong contribution ($9 million of the domestic total in 404 locations, many with limited seating). Credit also Timothee Chalamet. Although he’s part of a strong ensemble, he is the face of the film and it’s his first outing in a project of thus scale. Chalamet is also prominent in the winning “Dispatch” ensemble. Anderson’s latest comes at a time when grosses at key specialized theaters — both those in New York and Los Angeles and significant ones in other cities — have continued to lag.

This weekend, it appears that as many as 10 specialized theaters might gross over $40,000 for the weekend, led by the Angelika in Manhattan around $100,000, and several at $60,000 or close. Among these theater is the AMC Grove in Los Angeles, which looks like #2 among the dates. That’s encouraging for the future of specialized releases — at least for films that have Anderson-level appeal. “Dispatch” expands to 600 theaters next weekend. “Ron’s Gone Wrong” (Disney), an animated film from Fox Studios, grossed $7.3 million as a theatrical exclusive.  “The Addams Family 2” (United Artists), which is also available on Premium VOD, has taken in $48 million in theaters to date. Despite competition, “Addams”  had the weekend’s best hold (-39%). “Halloween Kills” plummeted 71 percent. “No Time” lost the benefit of premium theaters in its 50 percent drop. “Venom” was off 45 percent, while the second weekend of “The Last Duel” (Disney) was down 56 percent from a terrible start. “Honsla Rakh” (WHS), a Punjabi-language Indian film, placed #10 in only 75 theaters. The Cousteau Society The Top 10

  1. Dune (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 75; Est. budget: $165 million; also on HBO Max $40,100,000 in 4,125 theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $40,100,000
  2. Halloween Kills (Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #1; also on Peacock $14,500,000 (-71%) in 3,727 (+2) theaters; PTA: $3,891; Cumulative: $73,105,000
  3. No Time to Die (United Artists) Week 3; Last weekend #2 $11,887,000 (-50%) in 3,807 (-600) theaters; PTA: $3,122; Cumulative: $120,042,000
  4. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony) Week 4; Last weekend #3 $9,100,000 (-45%) in 3,513 (-500) theaters; PTA: $2,590; Cumulative: $181,830,000
  5. Ron’s Gone Wrong (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 64; Est. budget: $(unknown) $7,300,000 in 3,560 theaters; PTA: $2,051; Cumulative: $7,300,000
  6. The Addams Family 2 (United Artists) Week 4; Last weekend #4; also on Premium VOD $4,339,000 (-39%) in 2,907 (-700) theaters; PTA: $1,493; Cumulative: $48,318,000
  7. The Last Duel (Disney) Week 2; Last weekend #5 $2,100,000 (-56%) in 3,065 theaters (no change); PTA: $685; Cumulative: $8,522,000
  8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Disney) Week 8; Last weekend #6 $2,000,000 (-40%) in 1,600 theaters (-700); PTA: $1,250; Cumulative: $221,028,000
  9. The French Dispatch (Searchlight) NEW – Metacritic: 75; Est. budget: $25 million $1,300,000 in 52 theaters; PTA: $25,000; Cumulative: $1,300,000
  10. Honsla Rakh (WHS) NEW $(est.) 500,000 in 75 theaters; PTA: $6,666; Cumulative: (est.) $500,000

Additional specialized/limited/independent releases Becoming Cousteau (Picturehouse) NEW – Metacritic: 72; Festivals include: Telluride, Toronto 2021 $110,959 in 319 theaters; PTA: $348 Hard Luck Love Song (Roadside Attractions) – Week 2 $4,605 in 76 (-96) theaters; Cumulative: $62,575 Lamb (A24) – Week 3 $156,905 in 435 theaters; Cumulative: $2,520,000 The Rescue (Greenwich) Week 3 $136,350 in 303 (-249) theaters; Cumulative: $770,826 Mass (Bleecker Street) Week 3 $23,272 in 59 (+22) theaters; Cumulative: $89,516         Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.