May 9, 2017

Filmmaker In Focus Series: Filmed In Texas

Our next two featured filmmakers directed wildly entertaining independent comedies that won audience and jury accolades at the 2017 Festival. Directors Jason Headley’s Bad Idea Gone Wrong (Special Jury mention) and Noël Wells’ Mr Roosevelt (Louis Black Lone Star Award and Narrative Spotlight Audience Award) wowed audiences with their first feature length films. Headley’s short films have played on NBC’s TODAY Show, SundanceTV, Banksy’s Dismaland, the TED Conference, and more. He’s also been commissioned by Heineken, Sony, and Chrysler to write, direct, and produce original short films. Wells grew up in Texas and is a graduate of the Radio-Television-Film program at UT Austin. After graduating college, she joined a house sketch team at the Upright Citizens Brigade in LA where she was then cast as a featured player on SNL. She recently played Rachel on Master of None and starred alongside Jessica Williams in The Incredible Jessica James.

A Bad Idea Gone Wrong

Q: Tell us a little about your film?

A: “It’s a comedy about two would-be thieves who forge a surprising relationship with with an unexpected housesitter when they accidentally trap themselves in a house they just broke into. We shot it in seventeen days in Ft. Worth, Texas between Thanksgiving and Christmas and no one got hurt. Physically, I mean. Emotionally we’re all shadows of the people we once were.”

Q: What motivated you to tell this story?

A: “I’ve written quite a few screenplays over the years, but they all required a certain investment of time and money to actually make. No spaceships or explosions, but enough characters and locations to make it add up. So I decided I was going to use the best of the storytelling craft I’d been honing and tell a really good tale with the fewest moving parts. Just take away as many barriers to production as possible. But always with an eye toward telling a story that was funny, heartfelt, and clever. That’s my trifecta as a filmmaker.”

Q:Tell us a random fact?

A: “A short of mine played at Banksy’s Dismaland. But I have not, to the best of my knowledge, ever met Banksy. I’ve made a couple of viral shorts that have garnered tens of millions of views. One of them became a book and an app which, I’m pretty sure, makes me a media mogul. But I have not, to the best of my knowledge, ever met Oprah.”

Mr. Roosevelt

Q: Tell us a little about your film?

A: “This is a coming-of-age comedy about a struggling comedian who returns to Austin after a family member falls ill. Over a weekend, she stays with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend and examines her failures in her career and life.”

Q: What motivated you to tell this story?

A: “Mostly, I wanted to tell a story that took this character, Emily, on a journey of self-discovery. I’ve had the idea of a version of her since college, and it sprung out of seeing so many “millennials” and people around me struggling to find their voice, chasing their dreams, looking to belong, and grappling with insecurities, while ultimately suffering from chronic self-centeredness. But I didn’t want this to be an indictment, I wanted it to be an opportunity for a character to go through something seemingly absurd that really forces her to come to terms with her selfishness. I wanted to give her a chance to realize that success won’t ever fill her heart like a strong community does, and that the antidote to my generation’s woes is empathy, towards ourselves and our adversaries.”

Q:Tell us a random fact?

A: “I used to have pet tarantulas and squirrels and also I was on Saturday Night Live.”

Explore More Content From SXSW 2017

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The post Filmmaker In Focus Series: Filmed In Texas appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

May 9, 2017

6 WAYS TO TELL YOUR BRAND STORY IN ANY PIECE OF CONTENT

This article originally appeared on Column Five.

Content marketing is one of the best ways to tell your brand story. But many marketers are confused about what that actually means. Here, we break down what a brand story is, why you need to share it, and how to communicate it through every piece of content you create.

WHAT IS YOUR BRAND STORY?

Despite the word “story,” a brand story is not a linear narrative. It isn’t even confined to the written word. It is an amalgam of your brand’s existence; it’s your essence. Your brand story is:

• Who you are: How your company came to exist, as well as your vision, mission, values, and culture.
• What you do: The product or service you provide.
• Who you do it for: The people you want to help.
• Why you do it: Your larger goal; not just what product/service you provide but how that benefits your customer (e.g., your app helps book vacations so that your customer can truly relax).
• How you do it: Visibility into your product, production, or process.
• Where you are headed: How you are evolving and working to create the best product/service for your customers.

In some ways, it can be hard to quantify a brand story because it is not one single thing, wrapped up in your website’s About page. To your audience, your brand story is both tangible and intangible, formed by the sum total of their interactions with your brand.

It’s in everything they see, read, hear, touch, experience (sometimes even taste) when they encounter your brand. It’s your website UX, the way you banter with them on Twitter, the way your customer service reps answer the phone. Your brand story is a powerful entity that functions as a conduit between you and your audience.

WHY BRAND STORY IS SO IMPORTANT

Consumers have become increasingly resistant to interruption marketing, the paradigm in which brands interrupt consumers to sell, sell, sell. Consumers don’t want to be treated as a faceless dollar bill, and they don’t want to feel preyed upon by corporate interests. But the traditional dynamic, which is inherently a one-way conversation, has made them feel this way.

Unsurprisingly, the 2014 Edelman Brandshare survey found that the majority of consumers are suspicious of brands’ intentions.

Consumers are not inherently opposed to brand communication, but they don’t want interruption. They crave engagement marketing, a dynamic in which the brand-consumer relationship is built on trust, mutual respect, and common interests. They want to connect and interact with brands, to be acknowledged as unique individuals.

Unfortunately, although there are more ways for brands to communicate with consumers than ever, consumers largely think that brands are dropping the ball. According to Edelman, the majority feel there is an imbalance in their relationships with brands.

To build a better dynamic with consumers, brands need to actively cultivate relationships. This is why sharing your brand story is so vital. It’s a friendly introduction, a way to build a relationship beyond a blanket media buy.

Your brand story tells your audience who you are, why you want to help them, and why they would enjoy working with you, helping you make an authentic, genuine connection at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

Letting them behind the curtain also helps you demonstrate both confidence and vulnerability, which makes audiences more eager to trust you and accept your expertise.

Now here’s the part that many marketers hate to acknowledge: You don’t have total control over your brand story. Your story is part what you communicate and part how your consumer perceives what you communicate.

While that may be frustrating, it’s important to take control of the part of the story you can communicate it. With no brand story, your customers can write their own narrative—or worse, disregard you entirely.

COMMUNICATING YOUR BRAND STORY THROUGH CONTENT

So, how do you share your brand story? Content is one of the best tools at your disposal. Every piece of content you create supports your story, from the simplest tweet to a full-on white paper.

It’s a steady IV drip, a way to deliver your story to multiple audiences, on multiple platforms, in many formats. Storytelling content can include:

• Articles
• Case Studies
• Data visualizations
• E-books
• Explainer videos
• Infographics
• Interactive infographics
• Microcontent
• Motion Graphics
• White papers
• Video

These communication tools are also versatile and flexible. Your story isn’t static; it changes as your company grows and expands, as you bring on new team members and break into new markets. While your website may not change much, a new initiative can spawn an article, infographic, and social content to send your story far and wide.

6 WAYS TO TELL YOUR BRAND STORY

Many brands get so excited about content marketing that they push any and every idea out the door, eager to feed the content beast. This instinct is well-intentioned but destructive. The only thing worse than no content is content that is disjointed, off-brand, or inconsistent.

To ensure you’re telling the right story and setting your content up for success, follow these 6 tips.

1) CHOOSE THE RIGHT SUBJECT

Consumers want to work with brands that “get” them, that are invested in helping them solve a problem, do something better, or enhance their life in some way.

Unfortunately, too many brands are focused on what they want to create, not what their audience needs. To help you come up with the right ideas, create audience personas, which detail exactly who your audience segments are, their pain points and struggles, and how you can help address them. (Try this easy exercise to help you create personas in less than an hour.)

You can use those personas to vet all your ideas, ensuring you are giving your audience truly valuable content that demonstrates that your brand is a useful resource or helpful friend.

Example: LinkedIn Marketing Solutions is all about mobilizing marketers to grow their audience, create more effective content, and, ultimately, achieve their goals. To help their audience get better results from their marketing, we helped them create a useful e-book packed with tips, stats, and deep dives into the world of native advertising.

2) PRESENT IT IN THE RIGHT FORMAT

The most important goal for every piece of content is to communicate your brand story as efficiently and effectively as possible. Therefore, choosing the right format is vital. You might get caught up in trying to produce the flashiest, trendiest types of content, but this is a disservice to your audience.

Whether content is meant to inform, delight, or entertain, show your audience you value their time and attention by presenting it in the right package.

Example: Warby Parker is known for their tremendously creative annual reports, packed full of personality. Each year, it’s an engaging interactive report with hidden surprises, such as the opportunity for readers to create their own personal annual reports.

3) USE YOUR BRAND VOICE

It is way too easy to default to boring marketing speak. (See our marketing gibberish generator if you want to see what we mean.)

Your brand personality and culture are what makes your brand unique. This should be reflected in your brand story through a strong (and human!) brand voice.

Don’t know what your brand voice is? It sounds like your company conversations, Google chats, water-cooler jokes. It’s influenced by who you are and who you strive to be.

Pro tip: Once you complete a piece of content, give it a second pass for word choice and tone. These are the easiest ways to color up your content and make sure you’re speaking to your audience appropriately.

Example: This Intuit interactive uses simple, helpful, and friendly language to guide small-business owners through the process of preparing employee W-2s.

4) DESIGN WITH YOUR VISUAL LANGUAGE

Your visual language is the aesthetic experience of your brand. Everything from your logo to color palettes can affect how your content is interpreted. Whether it’s a brand video, infographic, or interactive, a consistent, on-brand visual language creates a cohesive experience.

If you don’t already, your brand should have a formal style guide. (This allows any designer to preserve brand style and integrity.) Make sure it includes specifications for:

• Logo
• Color palette
• Typography
• Iconography
• Design system (such as hierarchy)
• Photography/graphics

See our step-by-step approach to building a powerful visual language and find out what four things your brand style guide should include.

5) MAKE IT SHAREABLE

You don’t want to be the only one telling your brand story. Encourage your audience to share your story by making it easy to do so. Working social buttons, proper dimensions, SEO optimization, hashtags—consider anything you can do to foster engagement.

For more tips, find out how to optimize your blog for your publishing and how to optimize your infographics for SEO.

6) MAXIMIZE EXPOSURE

It takes a lot of work to create a great piece of content, so you should try to reach as many people as possible. Your owned channels are a great starting point, but it always helps to elevate your visibility through publishing partnerships, syndication, or cobranded work. The larger the reach, the more people will hear your brand story.

Example: We partnered with INC to create an animated infographic showcasing 3 exciting infographic trends for infographics. This gave INC a great piece of visual content and allowed us to showcase our expertise and design skills to a larger audience.  

ALWAYS STRIVE TO TELL BETTER STORIES

As your brand story evolves, you will have more opportunities to connect with your audience—if you stay up-to-date on how to tell the best stories.

Going forward, continue to educate yourself, refine your brand story, and experiment with different ways to communicate your brand story. Remember: No one can tell it better than you.

Want more on telling your brand story?

• Try the Content Marketing Institute’s 10-step Hero’s Journey exercise if you have no idea what your brand story is.
• Find out how to tell better brand stories at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
• Watch this 360-degree video to learn more about how a brand is built.

Source: Visual News

May 8, 2017

How Much Do Amenities Impact Your Rent?

This article originally appeared on Priceonomics.

Many details about an apartment can impact monthly rent, other than the amount of space and location. For example, units that seem similar could be priced differently if one has a balcony. This price differential could be even greater in newer luxury apartments which offer things like concierge service, furnished rooftops, and fitness centers.

So what kinds of features could increase your rent? And by how much? Using thousands of apartment listings across major US cities with details including, monthly rent, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the presence of different amenities, we attempt to find out using data from Priceonomics customer RentHop, an apartment listing site.

We identified 10 features across the 10 largest metropolitan areas to investigate. These included:

Is the apartment furnished?
Does it allow pets?
Does it have a washer and dryer in the unit?
Does it have a common laundry room in the building?
Does it have a private outdoor space (i.e. balcony)?
Does it have a common outdoor space (i.e. shared rooftop)?
Is there a doorman?
Is there an elevator?
Is a designated parking spot included with rent?
Is there a fitness center?

Ultimately, we found that as expected, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms (highly correlated with square footage) are the biggest drivers of price. The amenities that were most associated with higher rent were having an elevator, having doorman, parking included and laundry in the unit, with each city having some variation.

Also in a rough model, designed to isolate the impact of each factor on price in NYC apartments, we found that having a doorman was the most important and increased monthly rent by about $260. The next most expensive feature was having an elevator, which increased costs by about $120.

The major drivers of rental pricing

In starting our analysis, we wanted to understand the differences in price by location. Grouping the over 450,000 records into cities, we calculated median price for each.

From this we can see that the most expensive city is New York, followed by the Boston area (which includes Cambridge). The least expensive city was Houston, which was cheaper by several hundred dollars.

It is important to recognize that not all apartments are easily comparable. A studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartment are all very different, and this could impact our median price calculation. To account for this difference, we broke out our city view to compare median price by number of bedrooms.

The top three most expensive cities remain the same across all categories, but on the other end of the spectrum there are some differences. While Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas has similar one-bedroom pricing, Dallas has a higher pricing for two bedrooms.

Our goal was to understand which of these factors were most related to price. It’s important to note that we did not have access to some relevant information, such as square footage, but our model is able to account somewhat for size differences using other parameters.

To start our exploration, we calculated correlation between each feature and higher monthly rent. A strong positive relationship would suggest the two are connected – and thus a specific feature may be more likely to increase your rent.

Rather than present raw numbers, we’ve color coded the results. A darker green indicates a stronger correlation with higher monthly rent.

Doorman, elevator, fitness center, laundry in unit, and parking are most correlated with price. Each market has a unique mix of what factors matter most. New York in particular has several important features including pets and fitness center as well as those mentioned previously.

It is important to call out that these factors are only more or less influential in relative terms. In absolute terms, the correlation coefficients are small and suggest only a slight relationship with higher prices.

Closer Look at New York City

To understand each factor in more detail we zoomed in on New York City, which offered the largest and most diverse set of data. We analyzed the correlation between higher price and features at a neighborhood level (focusing on the 50 neighborhoods with the most records). Understanding the neighborhoods helped us build a model for the city overall.  For this analysis we focused on listings with 2 or fewer bedrooms.

Each part of New York is distinct and features can have different degrees of importance. To test this, we plotted the results of the top 10 most expensive neighborhoods to find out what was most important for higher priced apartments.

Across the board, there is a strong correlation between laundry in the unit as well as presence of a doorman on cost. Other important features appear to be allowing pets and having a fitness center.

Similarly, looking at the 10 least expensive neighborhoods, we isolated the most important features. This also provided us the benefit of comparing which are important across the range of different neighborhoods.

The same main features are important, but the degree of correlation is slightly different. Having a doorman is also a major feature but, laundry in unit is slightly less important. Relative to the more expensive locations, a fitness center is more important, while allowing pets is not correlated at all in most neighborhoods.

Finally, we created a linear regression model to predict the impact of each feature on price. From the coefficients of the linear regression equation, we can see about how much the feature impacted price. The results of the previous correlation exploration helped us to identify which features to include in our model and through a comparison of many different models, we identified the one which best predicted rent from the presence of features.

In the end, we had 9 variables in our model: 1) number of bedrooms, 2) number of bathrooms, 3) allowing pets, 4) laundry in the unit, 5) having a doorman, 6) having an elevator, 7) having a fitness center, 8) having a parking garage, and 9) a factor indicating how expensive the neighborhood is generally.

Controlling for the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, having a doorman has the greatest impact on price at about $260. This may seem like a large amount for just a doorman, but it makes sense as it is a good indicator that the building overall will be very nice and is likely in a more expensive neighborhood. The same goes for having an elevator and fitness center, which contributes roughly $120 and $90 to price, respectively. Finally having a washer and dryer inside the unit is also a major benefit. If you think you’ll spend more in $80 in quarters at the laundromat in a typical month, finding an apartment with a washer dryer may be cost effective for you.

You may have noticed there are many features that are not in our model. The other factors may have been correlated with price, but they did not have enough predictive power to improve the model beyond these four. Also as we stated earlier, this is not a perfect model. There is still a large degree of variation that our variables cannot explain. These numbers should only be regarded as a rough estimate and a way to compare relatively which matter most.

***

In the end, your price will be significantly impacted by what city you’re looking in as well as the size and location. Still, certain features do have some impact on costs and it’s important to keep these in mind when making comparisons. Being aware of the differences between listings (and how much they are worth) will help you make smarter decisions about renting.

Source: Visual News

May 7, 2017

A24’s ‘The Lovers’ Woos Arthouse Box Office

A weak arthouse market was brightened by “The Lovers,” a high-concept A24 release targeted at the usual older specialty demo. Azazel Jacobs, an indie veteran without a breakout film to his credit, returned to the feature world from HBO (“Doll and Em”) with “The Lovers” (A24). Its initial results put it atop the results for the weekend which saw several disappointments.

READ MORE: A24 After ‘Moonlight’: Why They’re Finally Ready To Conquer the Older Arthouse Crowd

Several top specialized distributors optimistically counter-programmed against Marvel’s May juggernaut “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” hoping to fill the vacuum with no other wide releases to grab attention. That strategy can can launch a film like “Belle,” “Ida,” and “Far from the Madding Crowd” toward a big push in the early summer period including Memorial Day weekend.

Even if  “The Lovers” never approaches that level, it is positioned to get further attention ahead of numerous new releases this coming weekend.

Film Society/Criterion

Also opening strong with the best revival/restoration numbers in some time was Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” (Janus) which grossed an estimated $20,000 in a single Manhattan theater.

Opening

The Lovers (A24) – Metacritic: 71; Festivals include: Tribeca, Montclair 2017

$70,410 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $17,603

Azazel Jacobs’ first film since “Terri” (2009) is the biggest opener of his career. As a long-married couple, Debra Winger shines in a comeback role opposite playwright-actor Tracy Letts (“Christine”). They each delay telling each other about their affairs and plans for divorce but reignite their sexual romance, shocking their their visiting adult son.

This comedy/drama was boosted by a strong Los Angeles Times review which helped to overcome a New York Times pan. A24 easily got strong theater placement for this older audience movie which looks to come close to the results of IFC’s similar two-hander “45 Years” late in 2015. That film, which later was elevated by Charlotte Rampling’s Best Actress nod, opened to $65,000 in three theaters over Christmas weekend. “The Lovers” is a bit shy of that for its debut. (“45 Years” ran the awards lift to over $4 million.)

A24’s second in-house production after “Moonlight,” “The Lovers” is the most likely to thrive of the week’s new releases. The substantial Saturday uptick from Friday suggests it is initially reaching its target older audience. A24 will give this off-brand title strong support.

What comes next: The next wave of big cities starts this Friday, with a steady expansion throughout May.

The Dinner (The Orchard) – Metacritic: 58; Festivals include: Berlin, Tribeca 2017

$755,348 in 509 theaters; PTA: $1,496

Weak results greeted the cross-country release of this upscale ensemble drama about two couples having a tense dinner about the fate of their two troubled sons. Anticipating mixed reviews, The Orchard wisely chose not to take the platform route and went wider from the start, also recognizing that “The Dinner” is the second Richard Gere film in the market (after “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer”) and the second he’s done with Oren Moverman (“Time Out of Mind”). This marked a big jump for The Orchard, which scored well last year with “Hunt for the Wider People,” with the largest break to date, more than 200 theaters more than any of their earlier films.

What comes next: Little sign that this will merit wider expansion.

Risk (Neon) – Metacritic: 71; Festivals include: Cannes 2016, Art of the Real 2017

$75,179 in 35 theaters; PTA: $2,211

One of the most talked about documentary releases of the year opened to modest results despite elevated attention.

Laura Poitras hit box office and Oscar gold with her Edward Snowden as-it-happened “Citizenfour” in late 2014. That film opened quite well in a conventional five theater platform release after a New York Film Festival launch, with a PTA of $25,000. That then went to 37 its second weekend, with a PTA over $5,000 on its way to a $2.8 million for Radius/Weinstein.

Julian Assange, like Snowden a whistleblower/cybertheft figure, marks a more controversial but less fresh subject than Snowden: Alex Gibney’s “We Steal Secrets” previously portraying him in 2013. That opened to $28,000 in four theaters and only totaled $166,000 for Focus World.

“Risk” received plenty of attention as it evolved from its Cannes premiere last year to considerable reshaping as intervening events led Poitras to revisit her subject. This helped Neon (with its second release after “Colossal” a month ago) gain media coverage. But strong reviews were less rapturous than for “Citizenfour.”

What comes next: Neon plans a steady expansion over the next few weeks before Showtime airs the film this summer.

Tribeca

Chuck (IFC) – Metacritic: 67; Festivals include: Venice, Toronto 2016, Tribeca 2017

$40,416 in 4 theaters; PTA: $10,104

“Chuck” with Liev Schreiber in the title role — giving some weekend showings a boost with Q & A sessions — showed a modest debut at four key New York/Los Angeles theaters. But it came with a significant 110 per cent Saturday jump that could be a sign of the film gaining some initial traction.

Boxing films have had such a rebound at least in production that now title changes are in order. IFC premiered “Chuck” at film festivals last September as “The Bleeder” (as working class boxer and “Rocky” prototype Chuck Wepner was known) but later changed the title when Miles Teller drama “Bleed for This” also appeared.

Liev Schreiber plays the fighter who knocked down Muhammed Ali in their 1975 championship bout but failed to sustain a career. He may have influenced Stallone’s iconic character Rocky. IFC bought spots on cable sports programs as part of their marketing.

What comes next: Top 25 markets this Friday, top 100 by end of the month.

3 Generations (Weinstein) – Metacritic: 48; Festivals include: Cannes 2015

$20,118 in 6 theaters; PTA: $3,353

While Weinstein successfully appealed their initial R rating, that marketing win didn’t translate into box office interest, as this long-delayed transgender family drama, produced in 2014, has been plagued with mixed to negative reviews since its 2015 Cannes debut. Elle Fanning as a teenage boy seeking parental permission to transition costars with Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon. Despite major marketing and initial theater placement, the film failed to gain much traction.  Saturday at least had a decent 56 per cent jump.

What comes next: The expansion starts this Friday.

Like Crazy (Strand) – Metacritic: 67; Festivals include: Cannes, Mill Valley, Chicago 2016

$(est.) 6,000 in 2 theaters; PTA: $(est.) 3,000

Italian comedy/dramas used to be a mainstay of American art houses, but in recent years few films at all have seen much domestic action. This one directed by Paolo Virzi is set in an Italian asylum and features two contrasting female patients. Strand scored dates at Manhattan’s subtitle-friendly Lincoln Plaza and IFC Center, with minor results.

What comes next: Los Angeles follows on Friday.

A Woman’s Life (Kino Lorber) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Venice, Toronto 2016

$11,513 in 2 theaters; PTA: $5,742

Stephane Brize (“Measure of a Man”) has been gaining stature among French directors and getting steady release in U.S. theaters. His latest, based on novelist Guy de Mauppasant’s 19th-century story of a wealthy woman’s affair, also opened at two Manhattan locations to favorable reviews and middling business.

What comes next: It opens in Los Angeles next week.

Mr. Chibbs (Abramorama) – Festivals include: Montclair 2017

$3,640 in 1 theater; PTA: $3,640; Cumulative: $7,520

The afterlife of NBA star Kenny Anderson and his tough times adapting post-retirement are chronicled in this documentary which opened in two New York theaters to a five-day gross that comes from only at 60-seat theater at the IFC Center.

What comes next: This will see niche dates ahead particularly in areas associated with its subject.

Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait (Cohen) – Metacritic: 40; Festivals include: Tribeca 2017

$(est.) 4,500 in 3 theaters; PTA: $(est.) 1,500

Painter Julian Schnabel has made movies, appeared in them and now is the subject of a documentary solely about him. It opened in New York and Los Angeles to minimal results with mostly negatives reviews.

What comes next: This doesn’t look to hold much more than minor interest.

Stalker (Janus) (reissue)

$19,785 in 1 theater; PTA: $19,785

Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 Italian-made masterpiece gets reissue treatment with an initial strong result at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center.

What comes next: This strong gross should get this reissue attention beyond the normal revival circuit.

Also on Video on Demand:

Burden (Magnolia/Tribeca 16) – $(est.) 3,000(est. in 2 theaters

Take Care (The Orchard/Tribeca 17) – $(est.) 2,800 in 2 theaters

International releases:

This Is Not What I Expected (Well Go USA/China) – $140,000 in 36(est.)  theaters

Love Off the Cuff  (Asia Releasing/China) – $(est.) 140,000 in 47 theaters

Week Two

Obit. (Kino Lorber)

$13,386 in 3 theaters (+1); PTA: $(est.) 4,666; Cumulative: $54,386

Los Angeles added theaters for this documentary about the death notices section of the New York Times, with a strong local review making it a modest success.

Bang! The Bert Berns Story (Abramorama)

$4,830 in 2 theaters (+1); PTA: $2,415; Cumulative: $16,297

Los Angeles added to the initial New York date for some sampling for this documentary about an important but lesser known 1960s rock figure.

Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000 in under 1,000 theaters)

Aidan Monaghan

The Lost City of Z (Bleecker Street) Week 4

$1,062,000 in 815 theaters (-51); Cumulative: $6,644,000

Pulling ahead of Bleecker’s “Captain Fantastic,” this adventure tale in partnership with Amazon will soon top all of Bleecker Street’s releases other than their break out “Eye in the Sky.”

The Zookeeper’s Wife (Fox Searchlight) Week 6

$539,715 in  655 theaters (-342); Cumulative: $15,808,000

Holding on after an accelerated wider run, this won’t quite reach last spring’s top specialized release “Eye in the Sky” (over $19 million) but has led 2017’s limited releases to date. (Fox Searchlight’s wider crossover hit “The Gift” continues to expand its margin ahead of this).

Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4

$481,467 in 125 theaters (+78); Cumulative: $1,095,000

Continuing to show decent response as it expands, and more impressive against the much wider opening in many of the same theaters for star Richard Gere‘s “The Dinner,” this continues on a pace to be SPC’s biggest-grossing release in a year — it needs to hit $3.3 million.

Their Finest (STX) Week 5

$420,000 in 323 theaters (-7); Cumulative: $2,450,000

This London World War II story starring Gemma Arterton is holding steady with nearly the same theater count. If STX can hold theaters, this still might see a good chunk of gross ahead.

Colossal (Neon) Week 5

$200,200 in 242 theaters (-84); Cumulative: $2,501,000

In week five, Anne Hathaway’s indie genre flick continues to decline more quickly than expected, with a PTA now under $1,000.

A Quiet Passion (Music Box) Week 4

$156,554 in 79 theaters (+34); Cumulative: $488,488

In a promising sign for Terence Davies’ Emily Dickinson biopic, despite a significant addition of theaters the PTA stayed close to $2,000 (it was a little over last weekend). That suggests both room for more expansion as well as a chance of holding in at those already playing.

Your Name. (FUNimation) Week 5

$(est.) 85,000 in theaters (-55); Cumulative: $(est.) 4,650,000

Quietly this Japanese animated worldwide smash has managed a very strong domestic take outside the usual distributors.

Also noted:

Citizen Jane: Battle for the City (IFC) – $44,000 in 20 theaters; Cumulative: $132,252; also available on Video on Demand

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (Abramorama) – $27,715 in 15 theaters; Cumulative: $150,762

Tommy’s Honour (Roadside Attractions) – $18,825 in 35 theaters; Cumulative: $533,355

Frantz (Music Box) – $13,064 in 20 theaters; Cumulative: $838,623

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Source: IndieWire film