“Grand Budapest Hotel” has biggest limited live action debut

PanARMENIAN.Net - True to its name, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” has made a spectacular showing in the specialty box office, breaking the record for the highest-grossing limited live action debut of all time, Variety said.

With a $800,000 weekend bow, Wes Anderson’s eighth feature film has stolen the art-house crown from “The Master.” The dramedy, which checked into only four theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, averaged more than $200,000 per theater, overtaking the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed drama, which averaged $147,000. This marks the best non-event opening gross ever for a New York or Los Angeles premiere and the auteur’s most successful debut to date.

“Grand Budapest” reeled in $260,000 on Friday, March 7 ($65,000 per theater average) and an additional $40,000 in late night showings on Thursday.

“The Master” previously beat the record set by Anderson’s last film, 2012′s “Moonrise Kingdom.” With help from a Memorial Day weekend berth, that movie averaged a record-setting $131,000 in four theaters. Anderson now has two of the three top limited live action debuts.

The film, starring Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton, will screen in more than 1,000 screens over the next five weeks.