Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killer of the Flower Moon’ was released in theatres on October 20. The Leonardo DiCaprio starrer got off to a strong start even as ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ continued to dominate the box office.
After a record-breaking opening weekend of $92.8 million, ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ earned an estimated $31 million over the weekend from 3,855 locations, according to AMC Theaters.
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ debuted with $23 million, marking the third-best opening for Scorsese, following ‘Shutter Island’ ($41 million in 2010) and ‘The Departed’ ($26.9 million in 2006).
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ has received rave reviews from audiences. It added $21 million overseas.
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is a historical crime drama about a string of murders against the Osage nation in the early 1920s.
The film, which cost at least $200 million to make, is the largest production yet from Apple Studios. The streamer partnered with Paramount Pictures to release Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s bestseller in 3,628 theaters, with plans to later stream it on a not-yet-announced date on Apple TV+.
The movie also marks the best wide-release debut for a film from a streaming company.
Earlier this year, Apple said it plans to spend $1 billion a year making movies that will have theatrical releases before reaching its streaming service. Paramount initially signed on to produce and distribute ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, but transitioned into the deal with Apple when costs of the project, shot during the pandemic, rose.
‘If ‘flexibility’ is the new mantra of the theatrical movie business, then this is a significant success — it establishes a viable option for the companies,’ David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, said of the ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ launch.
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