Focus Features’ “Emma,” an adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, had a solid opening at the specialty box office this weekend.
Director Autumn de Wilde’s feature film debut earned $230,000 in its debut outing across five theaters in New York and Los Angeles, ranking No. 1 in each location. That success translated to a $46,000 per-screen average, which is the highest average of any speciality opening this year so far.
“Emma” — starring Anya Taylor-Joy — cleverly satirizes social class, the pains of growing up and the search for love. It has a 100% audience score and 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Certified Fresh on the site. The cast also includes Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Josh O’Connor and Callum Turner. Opening weekend crowds were 69% female audience, while 58% were older than 35 years old.
“Audiences have not only been charmed by Jane Austen’s classic story, but are entertained by its new humor told through the incredible cast,” said Focus Features distribution president Lisa Bunnell.
Next week, Focus Features will expand its national footprint and bring the film to 100 theaters in 25 markets.
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Also in limited release, Kristen Stewart’s “Seberg” earned $60,487 from three theaters, averaging $20,162 per location. Amazon Prime’s political thriller follows Stewart as actress Jean Seberg, who finds herself the target of an FBI surveillance program due to her associations with activist Hakim Jamal.