Slumdog Millionaire sizzles wide

Fox Searchlight awards favorite Slumdog Millionaire was the darling of the weekend box office as it successfully opened nationwide for the first time in its run.

Buoyed by its 10 Oscar nominations, including one for best picture, Slumdog grossed an estimated $10.6 million from 1,411 runs for a per-location average of $7,477. Ticket sales were up 80%, while the film placed No. 5 overall. Total gross is $55.9 million in its 11th weekend.

Danny Boyle’s pic isn’t an easy sell considering it is set in India and is partly in Hindi. Yet the movie played strongly in markets across the country, including such locales as Columbia, S.C., and Butte, Mont.

“The film has exploded into the mainstream audience because of the Golden Globe Awards, the Academy nominations and now the Producers Guild of America best film award,” said Searchlight senior VP of distribution Sheila DeLoach.

Or, as an exec from a big studio said, “It has become the go-to film.”

Source: Variety