# Box Office: ‘The French Dispatch’ Sets VirusCasedemic-Era Record Theater Average

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Last modified: 2021-10-24

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By Paul Ebeling · 2021-10-24
Tags: film, movie, cinema, Lifestyle, theater, Paul Ebeling, Hollywood, Art, boxoffice, VirusCasedemic
Signed: no (published before platform launch).
Nothing in this article is investment advice.

#BoxOffice #VirusCasedemic

$T

"*Wes Anderson’s latest film features an A-List cast including Bill Murray, Benicio Del Toro, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand and Timothée Chalamet +*" -- Paul Ebeling

In a win for the arthouse market, Wes Anderson’s *The French Dispatch* posted the top opening theater average of the VirusCasedemic-era.

The Searchlight Pictures movie grossed $1.3-M from 52 cinemas in 14 domestic markets, or $25,000 per location. The previous best 3-day opening weekend average of the chaos-era  belonged to *Venom: Let There Be Carnage* at $21,309.

*The French Dispatch* raises the bar in a significant way after doing impressive business in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Austin and other strongholds for arthouse audiences. It also reached beyond non-Anderson fans.

In the film, Bill Murray plays the editor of a fictitious American magazine in a quaint French town, whose staff assembles to prepare their final issue in this valentine to literary journalism. 

Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s *Dune* wormed its way to a strong $40.1-M opening at the domestic box office.

The Legendary and Warner Bros. sci-fi epic opened simultaneously in 4,125 theaters across North America and on streamer HBO Max, a hybrid practice being used for all Y 2021 Warner movies because of the pandemic. *Dune* scored the best domestic opening of any such theatrical/HBO Max release to date.

It also delivered director Villeneuve the top domestic opening of his career. His previous biggest was *Blade Runner 2049* ($32.8-N), not adjusted for inflation.

Have some fun this week, see a movie in a theater, Keep the Faith!

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