'Disaster Artist' Shines During Quiet Weekend
by EG
James Franco's modest project The Disaster Artist took in a respectable $6.4 million as it went into wide release over the weekend, but it couldn't catch up to Coco, which finished at the top for the third weekend in a row. It also finished behind Justice League and Wonder, another small-budget hit.
James Franco's The Disaster Artist is the latest specialty release to thrive at the U.S. box office.
Shooting up the chart to No. 4 in its second frame, the dramedy grossed $6.4 million as it expanded nationwide into 840 theaters over the weekend for an early total of $8 million. A24 is handling the film domestically, while New Line/Warner Bros. — where the project was initially developed — has overseas duties.
The critically acclaimed pic, which initially launched in 19 theaters, recounts the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 film The Room, considered one of the worst movies ever made. In addition to directing, Franco stars as Wiseau. David Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson and Jacki Weaver co-star.
Disaster Artist trounced the weekend's only other new nationwide offering, Just Getting Started.
Marking the final title from Broad Green Pictures, Just Getting Started bombed with $3.2 million from 2,161 theaters.
Brothers Gabriel and Daniel Hammond launched Broad Green in 2014 with the ambitious aim of building a full-fledged production and indie distribution company. They hired a number of veteran executives, but quickly encountered tough times at the box office. In August, the company went through another round of layoffs and shut down its production division. It remains to be seen whether Broad Green will go away entirely or become a production venture only.
Just Getting Started, which bowed at No. 10, stars Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Russo, Elizabeth Ashley and the late Glenne Headly. Set in a retirement home, the story follows a former FBI agent and mob lawyer who must put their differences aside when the mafia shows up. Audiences spurned the film, giving it a C CinemaScore, while its Rotten Tomatoes score is a withering 11 percent.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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