The anticipated film Magazine Dreams, starring Jonathan Majors, is set to earn around $700K in its opening weekend across 815 theaters. The movie has performed solidly in markets like New York, Los Angeles, and other urban areas, though it falls short of the $1 million initial projections set by its distributor. This comes despite strong online engagement, with the film holding a 91% verified audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to an 81% rating from critics.
The film’s underperformance is particularly noteworthy given its buzz following its debut at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The story of a troubled but ambitious bodybuilder, Magazine Dreams has faced additional scrutiny after Majors was convicted on two misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment related to an incident with a former girlfriend. The film’s modest opening highlights the ongoing struggles of indie films in a challenging market.
Meanwhile, Secret Mall Apartment, directed by Jeremy Workman and self-released by Wheelhouse Creative, has made a strong impression with one of the highest per-screen openings for a documentary in the past six years. The film, which explores a group of renegade artists creating an apartment inside a mall in Providence, RI, is expected to earn $40.5K at a single screening location. Having already garnered audience awards at festivals like SXSW and Hot Docs, the film will expand to New York and Rhode Island in the coming weeks, with a national rollout planned for April.
Additional releases include The Avenue, a Sam Raimi-produced horror-thriller that opened at 964 theaters, grossing $964K, and IFC Films’ Ash, a sci-fi horror debut with $717K from 1,136 screens. Other notable limited releases include Bob Trevino Likes It, which grossed $58K across five screens, and Misericordia, which opened with $25K at three theaters in New York and Los Angeles.
Among indie films in the top ten, The Black Bag from Focus Features continues to perform well, ranking at number two with a cumulative $14.9 million after two weeks. Other indie hits in the top ten include The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie and The Monkey, both holding steady in their second and fifth weeks, respectively.
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