Meanwhile, MGM’s “Women Talking” got a very healthy boost, essentially tying “The Whale” with $1.013 million from 707 theaters. More importantly, that represents a 167.3% increase from the previous week for the film. It is, as it stands, by far the lowest-grossing Best Picture nominee with $2.4 million to its name to date. That said, it’s extremely clear that the Oscar noms helped bring some much-needed attention to director Sarah Polley’s acclaimed drama.
Similarly, Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” added $760,000 in its 12th weekend, representing a 73.2% increase week-to-week. Lower down the charts, Todd Field’s “Tar,” which stars Cate Blanchett, saw a 139.5% increase to $174,000, even as it arrived on Peacock following its premium VOD run. Though the biggest of the big increases went to “The Banshees of Inisherin,” as Martin McDonagh’s dark dramedy jumped 382.3% to bring in $353,000 in its 15th weekend. Not to be lost in the shuffle was “Living” (read our review here), for which Bill Nighy is nominated for Best Actor, which expanded into 644 theaters and took in $585,000.