Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" opened to $270,000 at 19 locations, representing one of the director's better premieres.
The Magnolia project, which stars Kirsten Dunst, averaged a strong $14,200 per theater — better than von Triere's "Antichrist," which debuted to an $11,900 average two years ago and went on to gross $404,122.
"Melancholia" stars Dunst as Justine, a newlywed who suffers from profound depression. Meanwhile, the planet Melancholia is on a collision course with Earth.
Also read: 'Melancholia': The Lars von Trier Movie for People Who Hate Lars von Trier Movies
Among other indie openings this weekend, Werner Herzog's documentary "Into the Abyss" endured a soft $50,780 debut at 12 locations.
The Sundance Selects film focuses on two convicted killers, Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, who are on death row in Texas.
Among indie holdovers, Paramount Vantage's "Like Crazy," directed by Drake Doremus, grossed $525,000 in its third weekend. The Sundance award-winning film about a British college student who falls in love with an American expanded from 16 screens to 70, and has grossed about $1 million so far.
Meanwhile, Sean Durkin's "Martha Marcy May Marlene," the Fox Searchlight movie starring Elizabeth Olsen, grossed about $490,000 in its fourth week of release.
Also read: 'Into the Abyss': Werner Herzog Plumbs Death, Life and Squirrels
The movie about a young woman who leaves a cult, has so far grossed about $1.7 million.
Pedro Almodovar's scary "The Skin I Live In" took in about $312,300 in its fifth week of release.
The Sony Pictures Classics movie went from 78 locations to 91 and has so far grossed $1.7 million.
And "Margin Call," the JC Chandor movie about Wall Street, grossed $595,000 in its fourth weekend.
Roadside Attractions' movie, which stars Kevin Spacy, Zachary Quinto and Stanley Tucci, expanded from 178 locations to 198 and has pulled in a total of $3.4 million to date.