‘The Invite’ Dines Out At No. 6 For Weekend In Solid National Expansion; ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ At The Angelika – Specialty Box Office
A24's comedy *The Invite*, directed by and starring Olivia Wilde, expanded to a limited nationwide release of 1,610 locations in its third week, grossing more than $5.7 million to reach a cumulative $7.38 million and claim sixth place at the domestic box office. The film, which co-stars Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, has drawn strong reviews and audience scores, marking a solid platform expansion after a high per-screen debut.
*The Invite* opened on seven screens on 26 June, recording one of the year's top per-screen averages, and holds a 96% Certified Fresh critics' rating and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Elsewhere among specialty titles, Focus Features' horror film *Obsession* passed $250 million in its ninth week to become the fifth highest-grossing domestic horror film ever, while Sony Pictures Classics' *Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass* opened to $954k on 1,000 screens. Limited openings included *Reading Lolita in Tehran* at NYC's Angelika (an estimated $15k), an Israeli-Italian adaptation of Azar Nafisi's memoir shot at Rome's Cinecittà, and Ross McElwee's documentary *Remake*, which took $8.5k at Film Forum with a 100% critics' score.
- *The Invite* grossed $5.7m across 1,610 sites, reaching No. 6.
- *Obsession* topped $250m, now fifth highest-grossing US horror film.
- *Reading Lolita in Tehran* opened strongly in limited release at the Angelika.