The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2015 (A Running List)
It’s official. After opening way back in April, the Helen Mirren-starring historical drama “Woman in Gold” has topped out as the year’s best indie performer, pulling in over $33 million for The Weinstein Company during its long run at the box office. “Woman in Gold” isn’t just a standout because of its prodigious domination of the indie list, but because of its unique road to the box office: A spring opener that premiered in February at Berlin — skipping both TIFF and Sundance in the process — before opening in the U.S. mere weeks later.
“Woman in Gold” is trailed by the well-reviewed “Ex Machina,” which used solid word of mouth and a large expansion (eventually topping out at 2,004 theaters) to grab the second place spot, along with Best Picture frontrunner “Spotlight,” the charming “Brooklyn,” surprise performer “Mr. Holmes” and the well-regarded documentary “Amy.” And one last late entry? “The Hateful Eight,” which sneaks into our last spot after mere days in limited release.
Other festival favorites and Oscar holdovers have stayed strong over the course of the year, however, including “Still Alice,” “It Follows,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “Love & Mercy,” but it remains to be seen how much box office success translates to awards season glory.
Please note: The below list only includes North American (domestic) grosses for specialty films — indie, foreign and/or documentary — that opened in limited release (initially under 500 screens) in 2015 and were released by an independent distributor or a studio’s specialty division (i.e. Sony Pictures Classics or Fox Searchlight). It also includes films that screened only as an Academy-qualifier in 2014 (“Still Alice,” “Wild Tales,” “Cake”). Grosses include all reported grosses up to December 29, 2015. This chart is updated every Tuesday evening. (An earlier version of this list can be found here.)
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: April 1st
Opening Theater Count: 258
Opening Average: $8,107
Current Gross: $33,307,195
2. Ex Machina
Distributor: A24
Release Date: April 10th
Opening Theater Count: 4
Opening Average: $59,316
Current Gross: $25,442,958
3. Spotlight
Distributor: Open Road
Release Date: November 16th
Opening Theater Count: 5
Opening Average: $59,002
Current Gross: $24,889,059
4. Still AliceDistributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: January 16th
Opening Theater Count: 12
Opening Average: $16,417
Current Gross: $18,754,371
5. Brooklyn
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Release Date: November 4th
Opening Theater Count: 5
Opening Average: $37,456
Current Gross: $18,407,589
6. Mr. Holmes
Distributor: Miramax/Roadside Attractions
Release Date: July 17th
Opening Theater Count: 361
Opening Average: $6,745
Current Gross: $17,737,646
7. It Follows
Distributor: RADIUS-TWC
Release Date: March 13th
Opening Theater Count: 4
Opening Average: $40,022
Current Gross: $14,674,076
8. Love & Mercy
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Release Date: June 6th
Opening Theater Count: 481
Opening Average: $4,412
Current Gross: $12,551,031
9. Far From the Madding Crowd
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Release Date: May 1st
Opening Theater Count: 10
Opening Average: $16.499
Current Gross: $12,236,500
10. Amy
Distributor: A24
Release Date: July 3rd
Opening Theater Count: 6
Opening Average: $37,083
Current Gross: $8,407,637
11. Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Distributor: Eros
Release Date: July 17th
Opening Theater Count: 257
Opening Average: $10,200
Current Gross: $8,178,001
12. Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
Distributor: FUNimation Films
Release Date: August 4th
Opening Theater Count: 183
Opening Average: $9,934
Current Gross: $8,008,363
13. While We’re Young
Distributor: A24
Release Date: March 27th
Opening Theater Count: 4
Opening Average: $56,922
Current Gross: $7,587,485
14. I’ll See You in My Dreams
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Release Date: May 15th
Opening Theater Count: 3
Opening Average: $17,364
Current Gross: $7,449,681
15. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Release Date: June 12th
Opening Theater Count: 15
Opening Average: $13,100
Current Gross: $6,758,416
16. Baahubali: The Beginning
Distributor: Blue Sky Cinema
Release Date: July 9th
Opening Theater Count: 236
Opening Average: $15,148
Current Gross: $6,738,000
17. Trumbo
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Release Date: November 6th
Opening Theater Count: 5
Opening Average: $14,835
Current Gross: $6,702,102
18. Danny Collins
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Release Date: March 20th
Opening Theater Count: 5
Opening Average: $14,492
Current Gross: $5,637,066
19. Room
Distributor: A24
Release Date: October 16th
Opening Theater Count: 4
Opening Average: $29,575
Current Gross: $4,758,422
20. The Hateful Eight
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: December 25th
Opening Theater Count: 100
Opening Average: $46,107
Current Gross: $4,610,676
