Utopia, which is aware of its approach round a music documentary (Meet Me In The Lavatory, Crestone) opened Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements on the Movie Discussion board in NYC to $13.2k with sold-out Q&As and plans to roll the Venice-premiering satirical hybrid doc/mockumentary throughout key markets in Might forward of a nationwide launch June 6. It’s sitting at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (31 critiques).
Every cease of the highway present from LA (offered out preview at Vidiots on the 8th) and Brooklyn subsequent weekend (additionally holding on the Movie Discussion board) to San Francisco, Nashville, Knoxville, Portland and Chicago — function offered and selling-out classes with administrators and band members whose movie is as a lot a satire of a music doc as the true factor. Precise archival footage and interviews alternate with a movie-within-a-movie that has actors enjoying band members (Joe Keery as Stephen Malkmus; Fred Hechinger as Bob Nastanovich; Natt Wolff as Scott Kannenberg) and Jason Schwartzman as Chris Lombardi, founding father of the group’s label Matador Data. There’s a reimagining of an precise theatrical manufacturing known as Slanted! Enchanted! and a museum memorabilia present.
The venerable slacker indie rock band got here collectively in 1989 in Stockton, California.
Utopia’s head of selling and distribution Kyle Greenberg says the Movie Discussion board viewers is multigenerational from Gen Z to boomers trying out the movie with lengthy strains and robust walk-up site visitors. “As we discover on many releases, bands that may be a bit older, due to discoverability today, there’s a likelihood … for these larger acts” to search out new audiences.
The indie movie scene is a tricky one and the general market crowded with new studio fare barreling into theaters at its quickest tempo in months. Pavements‘ advertising, Greenberg says, can be “hyper-localized” to the highway present and largely pushed by social with paid choosing up as word-of-mouth builds. The movie will play a single display in every market this month, leaning into its arthouse companions and activations round every theater, a few of which can play bonus music movies earlier than and after screenings. Others are creating Pavement museums and artifacts, “having enjoyable with the meta elements of the movie.” Earlier than the true trailer hit (watch it right here), Utopia launched a faux teaser for the faux movie-within-the-movie.
Different indie openings: Greenwich Leisure’s Bonjour Tristesse, a brand new adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s coming-of-age novel, had a terrific debut with $102.6k on 228 screens.
Rust, a tough film to launch, grossed $25k at 115 theaters, introduced by Falling Ahead Movies.
Most Folks Die On Sundays from Large World Footage opened to $8.1k on the Movie Discussion board.
Oscilloscope’s Vulcanizadora debuted at $5.2k. Joel Potrykus’s fifth function is a NYT Critics Decide and 98% with critics on RT. expands to further screenings in NY and Los Angeles subsequent weekend.
Vast/reasonable launch indies embrace no. 7, Angel Studios’ animated The King Of Kings, which is sticking round in week 4 with $1.8 million on 2,035 screens. Closing on a $57.7 million cume.
A24 isn’t any. 8 with Warfare in week 4 on 1,315 screens for a $1.27 milion weekend and a $24 million cume.
Sailesh Kolanu’s Telugu breakout HIT: The Third Case from Prathyangira debuted at no. 9 with $870k weekend on 590 screens, for a $2.1 million cume, as per Comscore.
And The Surfer from Roadside Sights starring Nicolas Cage rounded out the highest ten at $675k on 884 screens.
