Woody Allen‘s new film “Cafe Society” got off to a record-breaking start this weekend, with forecasts projecting it to earn the biggest per-screen average among all films that have opened so far in 2016.
The film grossed an estimated $355,000 from five theaters. That would put the Amazon Studios production at a whopping $71,000 per theater.
That dwarfs the previous record holder, A24’s “The Lobster,” which opened earlier this year to a per-screen take of $47,563. A24’s “Swiss Army Man” also opened with a strong average of $35,151.
The opening is also Woody Allen‘s best, per screen, since 2013’s “Blue Jasmine,” which averaged $102,011 per theater when it opened and went on to make $33.4 million domestically (and $64.1 million abroad). Allen’s highest-grossing film of all time is 2011’s “Midnight in Paris,” which made $56.8 million domestically.
“Cafe Society,” starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Steve Carell, is being distributed by Lionsgate.
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Set in the 1930s, the film follows the bicoastal adventures of Bobby Dorfman, played by a Woody Allen-esque young man (Eisenberg) who hopes to break into Hollywood with the help of his uncle, a high-power agent played by Carell.
The men find themselves caught in a love triangle with a young agency assistant (Stewart). The heart of the story shifts back to the East Coast when Bobby moves back to help his brother (Corey Stoll) run a swanky night club and becomes romantically involved with a divorcée (Blake Lively).
The film, also featuring Parker Posey, has received warm reviews since it debuted at Cannes in May, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 78 percent and a favorable Metacritic score of 66.
The opening numbers put “Cafe Society” in a strong position as it prepares to expand wide on July 29.