''Welcome To The Rileys'' Disappointing Debut

Kristen Stewart-James Gandolfini's WELCOME TO THE RILEYS Disappointing Debut: Box Office

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Reviews for Jake Scott's Welcome to the Rileys have been mixed. Among Rotten Tomatoes' "top critics," this Ken Hixon-written psychological drama starring James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, and Melissa Leo has a mediocre 41% "fresh" score.

That sort of critical reception has clearly affected Welcome to the Rileys at the domestic box office. After all, unlike big-budget trash, small indies can sink or swim depending on their reviews.

Despite the presence of the Twilight Saga's fearlessly virginal Bella Swan as a foul-mouthed stripper/pole dancer/sex worker, Welcome to the Rileys collected only $45k at 10 locations, or a disappointing $4,500 per-theater average as per studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.

All things being equal, the fewer the number of theaters, the higher the per-theater average.

For comparison's sake (in terms of per-theater averages, not themes): another new entry this weekend, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the second sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, scored $950k at 153 venues. That translates into a good (though hardly outstanding) $5,980 per theater. Noomi Rapace reprises her role as Lisbeth Salander.

Another comparison: The Yellow Handkerchief, which also features Kristen Stewart, collected $37k at 7 venues on its first weekend out last March. The low-budget drama's eventual domestic total was a dismal $318k.

Back in 2007, at only 4 theaters, Into the Wild, the film that began Stewart's ascension, pulled in $212k, or a sensational $53,110 per location. Generally solid reviews helped to catapult the Sean Penn-directed drama into awards season territory and acceptable box-office grosses of around $18m in the US/Canada, plus a solid $37.9m internationally.

Another early 2010 release, The Runaways, starring Stewart and Dakota Fanning, drew $805k at 244 theaters, averaging $3,299 per site. The $10m rock biopic cumed at a highly disappointing $3.57m domestically and collected only a little over $1m overseas.

And finally, last year James Gandolfini's British-made In the Loop brought in $192k on its debut weekend, averaging $23,983 at 8 theaters. Propelled by excellent reviews and several awards for its screenplay, Armando Iannucci's political satire went on to gross $2.38m domestically and another $5.39m internationally. (Without all that critical/awards help it would have sunk without a trace.)

Considering its tentative debut and the lack of critical support, it doesn't seem likely that Welcome to the Rileys will have a long (or wide) life at the North American box office.

Source => Alt Film Guide