‘Tony’, ‘Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma’ Go Wide After Ace Debuts; Andrew Garfield In ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’, ‘It Ends’ – Specialty Preview
Deadline's specialty box office preview for the weekend of 21 August 2026 covers a slate of indie and arthouse releases expanding or opening in North America. Leading the pack, A24's Anthony Bourdain biopic "Tony" and Mubi's surreal horror "Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma" are both going wide in their third week following strong limited debuts, while Vertical launches the family fantasy "The Magic Faraway Tree" starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy and Nicola Coughlan on around 1,600 screens.
"Tony" expands to over 1,640 North American venues and "Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma" moves to 1,036 screens. "The Magic Faraway Tree", adapted from Enid Blyton's books, has already grossed $20 million in the UK and over $32 million internationally. Other notable openings include Neon's horror "It Ends" (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) in limited release, French hit "The Marching Band" ($28 million internationally), Agnieszka Holland's Kafka biopic "Franz", Sundance winner "How To Divorce During The War", and Black Bear's wide comedy release "Spa Weekend".
- "Tony" and "Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma" expand wide in week three
- Andrew Garfield's "The Magic Faraway Tree" opens on 1,600 US screens
- Several other indie titles, including "It Ends" and "Franz", open in limited release
New here? Start with this
The specialty box office is the part of the film industry focused on independent, foreign-language and arthouse films, which often start in a small number of cinemas before reaching more screens. A wider release can help a film reach more viewers, though it does not guarantee commercial success.
The films in this weekend’s line-up range from a biopic of chef and presenter Anthony Bourdain to surreal horror and a family fantasy adapted from Enid Blyton’s books. Distributors such as A24, Mubi and Vertical decide how and where to release them, while cinemas and audiences shape how far they travel. Their performance matters to filmmakers and distributors weighing how to bring less mainstream films to a broad audience.