Licorice Pizza: Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest has best indie debut of the pandemic

It looks like cinephiles were hungry for a new Paul Thomas Anderson film because his latest effort, Licorice Pizza, has secured the best debut at the independent box office during the pandemic.

Licorice Pizza brought in $335,000 in total over the weekend which resulted in $83,852 per location, per “Variety.” The key metric for success here is the per-theater-average rather than the overall box tally because the film is only playing in four theaters (two in New York and two in Los Angeles). The per-screen average is more than any other specialty film in nearly two years. Paul Thomas Anderson can now claim the best PTA among arthouse films since COVID-19 turned the industry upside down.

Licorice Pizza, in its first three days of release, surpassed A24’s black-and-white drama C’mon C’mon which previously held the record for best platform launch after grossing $135,447 on five screens, which was an average of $26,889 per location. Before the release of that film, Wes Anderson set the pandemic-era benchmark for indie films when The French Dispatch grossed $1.3 million and averaged $25,000 per location. The big difference is that The French Dispatch opened in 52 theaters while Licorice Pizza only opened in four.

Anderson is considered a marquee filmmaker which means his name above the title can sell tickets. His last film, Phantom Thread, was released four years ago and went on to gross $21 million domestically and $47 million worldwide as it went on to become an Oscar-favorite. Licorice Pizza puts him back in the Oscar conversation where he has been before with his other films that include Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and The Master.

MGM and United Artists Releasing are backing the $40 million film and they plan on expanding the film nationwide on Christmas Day. It has a ways to go to earn a profit but the opening and exits for the film indicate that the film could have legs during the holiday season. The film skewed surprisingly young and was popular with younger audiences. Among weekend ticket buyers, 72% were between the ages of 18 and 34, while 66% were male.

Licorice Pizza is a comedic drama that is set in the 1970s San Fernando Valley and stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. The film is set to go wide on December 25, 2021.

Did YOU check out Licorice Pizza over the weekend?