A24's Bourdain biopic "Tony" delivered the best limited opening of 2026, headlining a strong weekend for independent cinema despite stiff competition from mainstream blockbusters. Director Matt Johnson's film, which imagines a young Bourdain discovering his love of food in a Provincetown kitchen, drew sold-out crowds on all six of its opening screens, while Jane Schoenbrun's slasher film "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" and cat-video compilation "CatVideoFest" also posted strong debuts, underscoring healthy demand for specialty releases.

"Tony", starring Dominic Sessa as Bourdain alongside Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones and Leo Woodall, grossed $349,000 across six New York and Los Angeles screens for a $58,000 per-screen average, and holds a 95% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes; it expands nationwide from 21 August. Mubi's "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma", starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, took $251,500 on five screens ($50,300 per screen). Elsewhere, Olivia Wilde's "The Invite" neared a $24.2 million cume in its seventh week, "CatVideoFest" earned $586,000 on 255 screens, Willem Dafoe's "Late Fame" opened to $38,000 on two screens, and documentary "Cookie Queens" took $328,000 on 446 screens, boosted by Girl Scout troop bookings.