Neon’s film festival favorite Portrait of a Lady on Fire didn’t cause an inferno at the specialty box office, but it managed to have a warming glow of an estimated weekend gross of $67,105. The critically lauded romance directed by Céline Sciamma and starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel had its one-week qualifying run at the Angelika in New York and the Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles with a per-screen average of $33,552. It was #1 at the Angelika and came in at #2 behind Knives Out at the Arclight. Its debut is one of the best averages of any French film in the U.S. in the last 20 years behind Amelie and Coco Chanel. To add to its arsenal of acclaim, the drama sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and is the second best-reviewed film of the year right behind its fellow Neon title Parasite.

Also opening this weekend was the Tom Harper’s soaring balloon adventure The Aeronauts starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. As reported earlier, Amazon isn’t reporting numbers — but from the numbers we have seen, it is a bit deflated. For a sampling of 48 theaters it debuted, it showed around $30K-$31K. Its booked at 186 locations, and some are four-walled, so that is not the total weekend gross. These figures are coming from industry estimates from what’s spotted on exhibitors’ POV sales systems.

There were a handful of global titles that debuted this weekend including the thriller En Brazos De Un Asesino which earned an estimated $221,393 as well as the Hindi-language war film Panipat which came in at $299,133. The Chinese action pic The Whistleblower opened to the tune of $159,918 while the Filipino romance Unbreakable made its debut in 78 theaters with an estimated gross of $220,000.

In its second week, Michael Apted’s documentary 63 UP stayed consistent as it continued its run at at New York’s Film Forum and opened in Los Angeles at the Landmark Nuart. It netted an estimated gross of $22,355 as it preps to debut in an additional 10 markets next weekend.

Focus Features’ Dark Waters made a massive expansion in its third week out. The legal thriller directed by Todd Haynes and starring Mark Ruffalo went from 94 to a staggering 2012 theaters and netted an estimated $4,100,00, bringing its cume to $5,300,000. We are hearing that it played best on the East and West coast, with stronger audiences in the latter. It earned a per-theater average of $1,988, which could use a little boost if it wants to keep up its momentum.

As we continue to monitor the performance of awards season titles, it seems like they are beginning to wind down. Now in its ninth week, Jojo Rabbit earned an estimated $588,000 which a handful of change in its till as it moves towards $20 million. It’s almost there, but it’s just taking a little longer.

If the estimates hold, Shia LaBeouf’s Honey Boy has crossed the $2 million in its fifth week. LaBeouf’s cathartic reflection on his relationship with his father is now in 450 theaters and is having a decent runs in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville as it remains relatively quiet elsewhere.

Elsewhere, A24’s critically acclaimed family drama Waves is in need of more eyes as it expanded to 570 theaters and grossed $421,625. Bad news: it was on the low side with a $740 per-screen average. Good news: its cume crossed the $1 million mark.

And finally, Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite held strong in its ninth week of release. The Korean language dark comedy that everybody can’t stop talking about continues to have solid runs in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and D.C earning $700,000. It will more than likely reach or even cross the $20 million mark by this time next week.

NEW RELEASES

En Brazos De Un Asesino (Pantelion Films) – Week 1 [160 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $221,393, Average $1,384

Panipat (Reliance Entertainment) – Week 1 [184 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $299,133, Average $1,626

A Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Neon) – Week 1 [2 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $67,105, Average $33,552

Unbreakable (ABS-CBN) – Week 1 [78 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $220,000, Average: $2,819

The Whistleblower (CMC Pictures) – Week 1 [141 Theaters] Weekend/Cume $159,918, Average $1,134



RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

63 Up (Britbox) – Week 1 [2 Theaters] Weekend $22,355, Average $11,178, Cume $48,080

HOLDOVERS/THIRD+ WEEKEND

Dark Waters (Focus Features) – Week 3 [2012 Theaters] Weekend $4,100,00 Average $1,988, Cume $5,300,000

Honey Boy (Amazon Studios) – Week 5 [450 Theaters] Weekend $452,439, Average $984, Cume $2,139,465

Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight) – Week 9 [333 Theaters] Weekend $588,000, Average $1,016, Cume $19,323,000

The Lighthouse (A24) – Week 9 [82 Screens] Weekend $73,640, Average $898, Cume $10,522,069

No Safe Spaces (Atlas Entertainment) – Week 7 [200 Theaters Weekend $275,895, Average $1,379, Cume $732,000

Pain and Glory (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 10 [78 Screens] Weekend $57,317, Average $735, Cume $3,607,595

Parasite (Neon) – Week 9 [333 Screens] Weekend $700,000, Average $2,102, Cume $19,353,737

Waves (A24) – Week 4 [570 Theaters] Weekend $421,625, Average $740, Cume $1,046,075