âDallas Buyers Clubâ off to solid start in limited release
A healthy number of moviegoers bought in to âDallas Buyers Clubâ this weekend.
The critically beloved AIDS drama debuted in nine theaters and grossed $264,128, according to an estimate from distributor Focus Features. That amounts to a per-location average of $29,347 -- a solid start, but still fairly behind the recent debut of fellow best-picture hopeful â12 Years a Slave.â
Both âDallas Buyers Clubâ and â12 Years a Slaveâ deal with heavy subject matter -- though that hasnât dissuaded people from turning up to see the latter. (âSlaveâ is now in about 400 theaters and has collected $8.8 million.)
âDallas Buyers Club,â which was in development for about two decades, is based on the story of Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey), a homophobic Texan who began importing non FDA-approved AIDS treatments after he was diagnosed with the disease in the 1980s. McConaughey and co-star Jared Leto, who plays Woodruffâs transgender business partner, have earned early Oscar buzz for their performances.
This weekend, the $5-million production played in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and Montreal -- and its grosses were brought down by the Canadian screenings, said Focusâ domestic distribution president Jack Foley. He noted that the movieâs Canadian distributor opted to launch the film in two theaters in Montreal, where director Jean-Marc VallĂ©e hails from.
âThey took a gamble that hometown talent would be a big draw, but the approach wasnât all that successful,â said Foley. However, overall, the filmâs ticket sales increased 71% from Friday to Saturday, an indication that âword of mouth is spreading positively.â
âYou can tell we are appealing to people of all ages, because ticket sales were consistent hour-to-hour -- things didnât jack up at 6 at night and then completely cool off at 7,â said Foley.
Next weekend, Focus will expand âDallas Buyers Clubâ to 30 more theaters in 12 additional markets, including Dallas.
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