Robert Pattinson’s Cosmopolis Punches Highest Per-Screen Average This Weekend
After a five day press blitz and trailing enough heat to power the Mars rover Curiosity, Robert Pattinson’s Cosmopolis racked up the weekend’s biggest per-screen average at the box office, beating out any other film in release “indie or studio.”
Out on limited release in L.A and New York since Friday, the David Cronenberg directed film noir topped per theater takes of other ‘specialist’ contenders like the much buzzed Compliance, Robot and Frank (starring Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon and James Marsden), Side by Side, Chicken with Plums, The Awakening and Beloved.
In fact, per theater, Comsopolis took more than major releases like the late Whitney Houston’s Sparkle and Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables although — obviously — these majors grossed higher box office overall.
Compared to its Canadian debut ($ 56, 556 across 24 screens), Cosmopolis’ stats are even more impressive. After playing in just 3 screens in LA and New York this weekend, according to Hollywood.com Cosmopolis took $ 70, 339 — that’s $ 23, 446, 109 in each theater.
It’s not the highest per theater average for a limited release this year — for instance Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom rang in an average of $ 130, 749 back in May — but it’s very strong. And if these numbers hold across Cosmopolis‘ wider roll out this coming weekend when it plays in a further 60 U.S theaters, the financial picture will get even rosier.
After its Cannes Film Festival debut and resulting mixed to positive reviews, following its U.S release this Friday the majority of critics reviewed Cosmopolis as compelling viewing, singling out Pattinson and Paul Giamatti for particular praise.
Cosmopolis follows disaffected, young billionaire assets titan Eric Packer, on a 24 hour descent into the underbelly of a gridlocked New York. On a seemingly benign trip to get a haircut Packer is pursued by a faceless assassin, a fortune decimating bet against the yuan and his own search for “something more.” Amid the chaos, an estranged new wife and various employees cameo in and out of Packer’s command center of choice – a white, stretch limousine.
Immeasurable, of course, is how much the recent firestorm involving Kristen Stewart and Rupert Sanders may have galvanized casual moviegoers to check out Comsopolis. Though Water for Elephants (2011) Pattinson’s biggest grossing non-Twilight film grossed over $ 117, 000, 000, some movie watchers think Pattinson has yet to prove his box-office clout outside of The Twilight Saga franchise.
Right now, however, Pattinson is enjoying the best notices of his career with Cosmopolis and his upcoming film slate is blazing.
New roles in David Michod’s (Animal Kingdom) The Rover alongside Guy Pearce and Mission: Blacklist a film based on the U.S military’s pursuit of the now dead Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, from the perspective of ex-Army Interrogator Eric Maddox who led the intelligence mission — Pattinson will star as Maddox.
Pattinson has also signed on to renowned German documentary/filmmaker Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert which will star Naomi Watts (The Ring, King Kong, 21 Grams) as famed explorer, British Empire attache and writer – Gertrude Bell. Pattinson will play T.E (Thomas Edward) Lawrence, best known as Lawrence of Arabia. A British Army officer and noted writer, Lawrence befriended Bell and the pair helped establish crucial dynastic changes in Jordan and Iraq at the turn of the twentieth century.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Pattinson is also set to star in a film based on the life of The Band, the Canadian-American roots rockers who famously toured with Bob Dylan in 1965-66 (latterly 1974). Also on the table is Map to the Stars, an as-yet-still-seeking-financing collaboration with Cronenberg (again) which could possibly also star Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, Lord of The Rings.) Bringing up the rear is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 which hits theaters November 16.
So, fairly busy then.
Watch three new clips from Cosmopolis and the full U.S trailer below. The film is out now and plays in select cinemas in the rest of the U.S from August 24 onwards. Check listings here, further adds are expected.
