Magnolia Pictures’ documentary “The Gospel According to Andre” has found a solid start from its four-screen release in an otherwise quiet Memorial Day weekend for the indie box office.
Directed by Kate Novack, the documentary explores the life and creative vision of fashion writer Andre Leon Talley, who is most famous for serving as the editor-at-large at Vogue. It is estimated to have a three-day opening of around $44,500 for a per screen average of $11,125. Reviews have been positive with an 84 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Just below “Gospel” on the per screen average charts is the Chinese import “How Long Will I Love U,” a sci-fi romantic comedy about a man and woman who live in the same apartment 20 years apart, only to discover that their timelines have merged and forced them to live together. Distributed on 23 screens this weekend by Well Go USA, the film made $210,000 this weekend for a per screen average of $9,130.
Performing less impressively is IFC’s “Mary Shelley,” a biopic starring Elle Fanning as the titular famed author of “Frankenstein.” Released on two screens, the film only grossed $12,016 and has been negatively reviewed by critics with a 31 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
On holdovers, Magnolia/Participant Media’s “RBG” continues to post solid numbers, adding another $1.1 million in its fourth weekend to bring its total to $5.6 million. Despite a very competitive May, the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has stayed in the top 10 for all four weekends of its run. Another May documentary, “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word,” added $290,000 from 385 screens in its second weekend to bring its total to $1.1 million.
Finally, Bleecker Street’s “Disobedience” hit the $2.5 million mark in its fifth weekend after adding $368,554 from 224 screens, while Fox Searchlight’s “Isle of Dogs” crossed $31 million after making $245,000 in its tenth weekend.