Halloween wasn’t the only horror film to make news at the box office this weekend. Suspiria got started in limited release and thanks to the results, Amazon Studios is planning a big expansion for the film moving forward.
Luca Guadagnino’s arthouse remake of Suspiria grossed $179,806, an especially impressive number considering the horror film opened in just two locations. That averages out to a massive $89,903 per venue. Suspiria played at Regal Union Square in New York and Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles, where Guadagnino appeared at Q&A’s after Friday night’s screenings.
Amazon Studios will test audiences’ appetite for artsy gore as it rolls the film out in 250 locations this weekend, a number of which will be Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. The studio plans to expand to more cities in its third weekend and will continue to watch how this gamble pays off.
Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton star in the supernatural thriller, based on the 1977 Italian film directed by Dario Argento. It follows a young American dancer who enrolls in a prestigious and mysterious dance academy. Since opening at the Venice Film Festival, the film has received mixed reviews from critics but has settled at 71% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. The marketing for the film, which has appealed to most horror fans, has done a remarkable job selling the film, which is difficult considering its arthouse sensibilities.
Prior to Suspiria, the best screen average of the year belonged to Free Solo, National Geographic’s documentary about the first free solo rock climb of Yosemite’s El Capitan. It picked up $300,804 when it debuted this weekend on four screens, translating to $75,201 per location.
