Receipts: 'Radical' Entrances Audiences, 'Across the Spider-Verse' Reemerges as Fan Favorite
Domestic: The US debut of the drama Radical has been a smash hit, making it to #5 at the US box office on the heels of an equally successful release in Mexico. After delaying the release to avoid losing audiences to the debut of Taylor Swift’s tour doc The Eras Tour, Radical built anticipation through word of mouth with a relatively small advertising budget. In its first week of release in the United States, Radical has brought in nearly $4 million for a total worldwide gross of $11.7 million. The film follows a sixth-grade teacher in a Mexican border town whose community is run by corrupt and violent institutions. The teacher uses a unique new method to tap-in tohis students’ potential – even as those students are considered the worst-performing elementary schoolers in the country.
Family comedy-drama The Persian Version has succeeded in the US market, bringing in just over $490,000 over its 9-theater limited release. The Persian Version is a semi-autobiographical film for writer and director Maryam Keshavarz, whose experiences as a queer Iranian immigrant take center stage in the film. The Persian Version won Keshavarz a Sundance screenwriting award, with its Bollywood-inspired group dances and harried plot keeping audiences on their toes. The film stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, a filmmaker who gets pregnant at a costume party shortly after her divorce from Elena (Mia Foo). As Leila’s father awaits a heart transplant and one of her eight brothers prepares for his wedding, the film jumps back in time to tell the family’s story from the very beginning, from pre-revolution Iran in the 60s and 70s, to smuggling Cyndi Lauper cassettes into Iran in the 1980s, to the family in the present day. Critics and audiences laud the film’s handling of such an ambitious and wide-reaching plot line, which, despite some critiques of its harried nature, has made The Persian Version a hit with viewers.
International: Hong-Kong documentary In Broad Daylight brought in $373,000 on its opening week in the country, an impressive showing for a limited-release documentary. Directed by Lawrence Kwan Chun Kan, the documentary features David Chiang, Pak Hon Chu, Bowie Lam, and Chung-Hang Leung. The film dives into the true story behind residential care homes for the disabled in Hong Kong, featuring the investigative reporting of a local news organization into abuse at the Rainbow Bridge Care Home. Reporter Kay goes undercover to reveal what goes on behind the doors of the care facility, exposing abuse and maltreatment that had thus far gone undetected.
Vietnamese historical drama The Last Wife brought in just over $1.4 million in its 8-theater release during its first week. Ranking above even The Eras Tour in Vietnam, The Last Wife currently leads box office revenues, followed by the Taylor Swift tour film in second place and Southern Forest Land in third place. Based on the novel Ho Oan Han by Hong Thai, The Last Wife is set during the Nguyen Dynasty. Linh, the wife of a buttoned-up district governor, comes from a poor farming background and is chastised by the women elders in her family for failing to give birth to a son. When Linh runs into her childhood crush, unexpected events turn her life upside down. The Last Wife is directed by Victor Vu and stars Kaity Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, Quang Thang, Kim Oanh, and Dinh Ngoc Diep.
Streaming: The summer blockbuster animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been released on Netflix, and catapulted to the 4th place spot in the streamer’s Global Top 10. With over 20 million hours viewed, Across the Spider-Verse is once again capturing audiences’ attention. With a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe addition quickly became a favorite when it was released in theaters in June. With voices like those of Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, and Shameik Moore, Across the Spider-Verse tells the story of Miles Morales, who reunites with Gwen Stacy on a mission to save his city and the world, all while juggling the typical struggles of a high school student.
2022’s Monster High: The Movie enters its second week on Netflix’s Global Top 10, In eighth place with 6.9 million hours viewed. Despite a somewhat underwhelming critical reception (the film has a 49% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), Monster High is an easily digestible and fun film that has somewhat of a cult following. Starring Ceci Balagot, Miia Harris, Nayah Damasen, Jy Prishkulnik, and Myles Truitt, Monster High follows a teen named Clawdeen (Harris) at Monster High. Clawdeen unearths an evil plot to destroy her school and reveal her identity as a werewolf, and must fight to keep her identity under wraps and her school safe.