Beau is Afraid has proved immensely popular, giving A24 a box office high not seen since Uncut Gems.
Per Deadline, Ari Aster's film has pulled in the best per-screen average of 2023 and grossed around $320,396 in four New York and LA locations, which works out to a per-screen average of over $80,000. Uncut Gems, meanwhile, pulled in an average of $105,000 per screens (across five screens) in 2019, making Beau is Afraid A24's highest limited opening since the Adam Sandler movie.
Beau is Afraid follows Joaquin Phoenix's titular character on a bizarre odyssey home for his mother's funeral. Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Armen Nahapetian, and Parker Posey co-star.
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"It's funny. He and I, Joaquin, we really hit it off, although we have very different sensibilities. He's very intense, and I am just tense," Lane has said of filming Beau is Afraid. "But he thought I was funny, so every time we did a take he would say, 'I can't look you directly in the eyes, or I'll break up.' So just know that in every close-up and in a scene with me, he's just looking directly at my nose."
The film is Aster's third, following on from the horrors Hereditary and Midsommar. Its wide release begins this April 21.
Beau is Afraid isn't A24's only recent, huge success. Everything Everywhere All at Once recently swept the 2023 Oscars, winning golden trophies for categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.
For everything else 2023 has in store, check out our guide to all the upcoming major movie release dates.
