The French Dispatch Sets Pandemic Box Office Record

While most eyes were on Dune this weekend, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch was making some noise at the box office.

The film, from Searchlight Pictures, set a pandemic record for independent films with a $1.3 million opening weekend. If you’re wondering how this compares with a recent Searchlight title, The Eyes of Tammy Faye struggled to find an audience and has yet to hit the $3 million mark. Mind you, this is even after platforming much quicker than usual for an indie title. Even as we inch closer to 2022, we’re still some ways away from a complete recovery at the box office. Most indie films are opening day-and-date to make for the best of both worlds. However, the specialty studio arms are still releasing exclusively in theaters.