How Indie Flick Outshines Transformers at Box Office with Just 26 Theaters
A24's latest limited release, Past Lives, has surpassed Transformers at the box office, hinting at potential for the indie film to become their next big hit
Over the weekend, A24's latest drama, Past Lives, has exceeded expectations at the box office. Despite only having a limited theatrical release since June 2, it has already made a splash, marking playwright Celine Song's directorial debut. The film tells the story of childhood friends Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) reuniting in South Korea after many years apart, following Nora's family's departure from the country.
According to Deadline, Past Lives has debuted at No. 10 on the domestic box office charts, raking in an impressive $520,000 across 26 theaters, averaging $20,000 per theater over the 3-day weekend. While it may not have reached the heights of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which claimed the top spot with a $60.5 million haul, Past Lives' per-theater average far surpassed the blockbuster tentpole. It also beat out the per-theater average of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which secured second place for the weekend.
Is Past Lives On the Cusp of Being A24's Next Huge Hit?
The performance of Past Lives at the box office is yet to be fully determined as its theatrical run continues, but its early per-theater average is a promising sign. In fact, it is currently outperforming the per-theater week 2 averages of some of A24's most successful films, such as Moonlight, Hereditary, Midsommar, and even the highest-grossing A24 film to date, Everything Everywhere All At Once. Despite not being a household name just yet, it seems that Past Lives is certainly one of the more under-the-radar titles from A24 worth keeping an eye on.
Past Lives is surpassing the box office performance of A24's notable releases of 2023, such as You Hurt My Feelings ($832) and Beau is Afraid ($2,758), by a considerable margin. While widening the film's release may negatively impact its average earnings, slowly building buzz in smaller markets could lead to a successful slow burn campaign and establish it as a genuine A24 success.
