But then (with the screen already switched to one with over 200 seats), the prime evening show was listed as sold out hours before scheduled time. That is not normal - Saturday should be higher than Friday.
A later afternoon show in Los Angeles went from $900 (that’s around 80 customers) on Friday to $450 Saturday (with a higher ticket price, around 30 people). That would normally suggest adjusting theater sizes to accommodate crowds.īut it’s hard to project what the gross really was. But Saturday, things got weird when theater sizes seemed to increase from Friday. Sunday looked to be around $10,000 for the three theaters (not much uptick from Thursday). The film opened on Thursday with an estimated take of $6,600 in New York and Los Angeles. To get some sense of the film’s reaction, we checked out the online reserved seating charts for the three Landmark Theaters playing the film (57th West in New York, the Landmark in Los Angeles, and the Embarcadero in San Francisco) to assess the results. Given that Netflix doesn’t release grosses, it’s hard to take the streaming service seriously as theatrical player. It has been normal for these to open in a handful of New York/Los Angeles theaters to over $75,000 their first weekend. “Buster Scruggs,” originally intended as a limited series, then edited into an anthology feature, would not be likely to perform –even with a full-on effort from a distributor–at the level of their earlier specialized releases. With Alfonso Cuaron’s looming “Roma,” other directors of his stature have pressed for advance releases of their films set to play on the streaming service. Netflix continues its war on film industry norms with this haphazard opening of the Coen Brothers latest film. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix) – Metacritic: 81 Festivals include: Venice, New York 2018
It looks poised to challenge “The Old Man and the Gun” (Fox Searchlight) among fall specialized releases that haven’t had a close to full expanded release (“The Hate U Give” with more than 2,000 theaters at its widest remains the biggest so far).
Sony gave it strong support, but opening during the strident midterm election, the movie did not seem to resonate, and did not open at a level that will buttress its award chances.Īmong expanding films, Focus’ “ Boy Erased” showed significant promise in its second weekend as it reached around 25 markets.
As a trial run for Alfonso Cuaron’s much-touted cinematic experience “Roma” on November 21, “Scruggs” did find some interest, performing on the same level as the other limited opening this week, Jason Reitman’s “ The Front Runner.”Īnd that film has no imminent competition from home viewing. Presumably Netflix will measure the upside of increased interest in streaming the anthology when it reaches the service. Clearly “Scruggs” opened far lower than other Coen Brothers films. We found a way to count attendance, with limited success. But they had no intention of sharing numbers with anyone. The cast couldn’t be improved: Everyone from Neeson to Chelcie Ross as a gabby, wide-eyed trapper in the final episode, “The Mortal Remains,” comes from central casting in the best possible way.History was made this weekend by “ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Netflix), as for the first time the streaming giant grudgingly took the Coen Brothers movie into limited theatrical release one week ahead of its home site debut. “Buster Scruggs” involves classical moviemaking techniques (large crowds spacious and complicated physical elements against real scenery) along with copious digital effects (pistol shots to the head or, more winsomely, the ghost of Scruggs floating up to heaven, strumming a harp). The pathos are heavy yet earned here, and here alone.įrom the looks of it, the Coens enjoyed a sizable budget for this project. With innocents such as these, you know things won’t be working out in Coen Territory. (The Coens, who wrote, directed and edited, filmed the anthology in Nebraska and New Mexico.) Zoe Kazan pierces the heart as a young woman lovestruck by a sweet, sincere fellow traveler (Bill Heck). Only “The Gal Who Got Rattled” feels fully formed and interestingly shaded, following a wagon train heading west.