Which Record Did This Indie Movie Snatch From ‘Avengers: Endgame’?

A24 Films and director Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” had a huge debut weekend at the box office, but would you believe it has also snatched away one of the many records of “Avengers: Endgame”? While the celebrated family drama didn’t come anywhere close to the Marvel mega-sequel’s $350 million opening weekend, it was able to claim the biggest per-theater average of 2019.

Picked up from Sundance by the celebrated distributor, “The Farewell” premiered in four theaters in the U.S. this weekend, where it made over $351K, a huge number for a limited release. This represented a per-theater average of $87,833, which bested the record for 2019 set by “Endgame” with $76,601 from 4,662 theaters. While no amount of initial success can guarantee a bright future as a film expands nationwide, A24 must be feeling good about the film’s chances after this.

When considering the per-theater average of limited vs. wide releases, it’s important to remember that limited releases only need to account for the major metropolitan markets that they open in, like New York and Los Angeles. Wide releases, meanwhile, average these massive markets alongside towns and cities of all sizes across North America. One suspects that “Endgame” could have sported a much higher average had it premiered initially in select cities only. In fact, some of the largest averages of all-time are ‘90’s-era Disney cartoons – like “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas” – that had limited premieres.

“The Farewell” certainly has its own quality to thank for its success, as well. As of Monday, it boasts that rarest of accolades: a 100-percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 92 reviews. Starring Awkwafina ("Crazy Rich Asians"), the film follows a young Chinese-American woman who returns to China to spend time with her beloved grandmother whose terminal illness is being kept a secret by her family.