A lot of, though not too many, people saw Pedro Almodovar’s “I’m So Excited!” this weekend.
Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
It’s no shock to learn that “I’m So Excited!,” the latest from Spain’s Pedro Almodovar, had one of the best openings among specialty releases this weekend, according to Indiewire. What is less of a shock is how comparatively weak it opened. The $103,000 gross from five screens, for a $20,600 average, was very good, and it handily beat those by nation-wide chart toppers “Monsters University” and “The Heat.” But it’s almost half that of his last film, “The Skin I Live In,” which bowed to a $37,187 average from six theaters. “Broken Embraces,” meanwhile, scored a $53,556 average from two theaters in 2009, and “Volver” did a $39,540 average in 2006.
Still, no (or few) worries. Though we’ve argued that it’s only deceptively light, “I’m So Excited!” has been made without an eye on gobbling up awards, unlike past Pedro efforts. There are no major stars this time around (Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, Almodvar alumni, are carted off after the first few minutes, clearly as a joke). And reassuringly, every Almodovar since 1988’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” has grossed $1 million at least in the United States, with several doing far more than that. “I’m So Excited!” is bound to reach the minimal point, at least.
In other new releases, Jem Cohen’s excellent Vienna-set “Museum Hours” made an impressive $29,435 from two theaters, for a $14,718 average. “Byzantium,” Neil Jordan’s female-driven return to the bloodsucker genre he last visited with “Interview With the Vampire,” only scared up $18,000 from six locations, for a measly $3,000 average. Far scarier is that “Redemption,” a British drama-thriller starring Jason Statham, only averaged $958 from 19 theaters.
As for holdovers, the musical documentary “Twenty Feet From Stardom” and the musical dramedy “Unfinished Song” duked it out. The former moved to 44 theaters from six and grossed $232,517, for a $5,284 average. Its cume now stands at $415,396. The latter made $95,100 from 19 theaters, for a $5,005 average. Its total stands at $134,700.
For more, including numbers, visit the Indiewire piece.
