‘Bugonia’ Sees Strong Landing, Top 5 Per Screen Debut

Bugonia, the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, had a great opening weekend as awards season hopefuls including It Was Just An Accident and The Mastermind saw solid expansions at the specialty box office.

The alien thriller starring Emma Stone, landed at $690k on 17 screen in eight markets — translating to a per theater average of $40.6k for Focus Features. Expands wide next weekend. Bugonia’s PTA is up there, at no. 5 this year, following The Phoenician Scheme at $95k (also from Focus), The Encampments, Friendship and Love, Brooklyn.

Lanthimos’ much decorated 2023 Poor Things opened in nine theaters for a PSA of about $72k. Kinds of Kindness last year booked a $75k per screen average at five locations.

Bugonia, also starring Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias and Aidan Delbis, was written by Will Tracy and follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company (Stone), convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying earth. Producers are Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Lanthimos, Stone, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen and Miky Lee and Jerry Kyoungboum KoAri.

Thamma from Yash Raj Films grossed $568k at 405 theaters for domestic cume through Sunday of $905. The Hindi romantic comedy-horror by Aditya Sarpotdar see two lovers battling supernatural forces, family ties, and nature itself to defend their forbidden romance in a mystical world.

Justin Lin’s Last Days from Vertical opened to $161k on 312 screens.

IFC Films zombie horror comedy Queens of the Dead by Tina Romero debuted to $66.6k at 150 theaters.

Emma Lo’s documentary Mistress Dispeller from Oscilloscope opened to $23k on 3 screens — IFC Center (as of Wednesday) and Laemmle’s NoHo and Monica Film Center on Friday earning

Holdovers: Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon from Sony Pictures Classics, starring Ethan Hawke, Bobby Cannavale, Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott, saw $586k in a big jump to 870 screens and cume of $687k in week 2.  

Mubi’s The Mastermind by Kelly Reichart and starring Josh O’Connor grossed $266.5k expanding to 186 locations for a cume of $665.6k. Recalling current headlines out of Paris, three art thieves wander into a museum in broad daylight and steal four paintings. NY and LA continued to hold strong with sold out shows across the cities, Mubi said. Top expansion markets included San Francisco, Boston, Portland, DC, and Chicago with strong sales at runs in Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and more. The film, Reichart’s widest release, will expand into November.

Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You from A24 grossed $152.5k on 64 screens for a $527.6 cume. Star Rose Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at Berlin.

Neon’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning thriller It Was Just An Accident by Iranian director Jafar Panahi saw $102.6k this weekend in a limited expansion to 11 screens for an estimated cume through Sunday of $250.9k.