Independent films are proving their strength in a crowded marketplace, contributing to a robust domestic box office that is currently 26% ahead of 2024, according to Comscore. With studios and distributors launching bold new strategies, this weekend featured standout performances from The Life Of Chuck, The Phoenician Scheme, and multiple horror entries from A24 and IFC.
Wes Anderson’s Box Office Momentum
Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme climbed to number 6 at the domestic box office with a $6.25 million weekend gross, pushing its cumulative total to $7 million. The film’s second-week expansion to 1,678 screens marks a major step following its strong limited debut last week — which boasted the highest per-screen average of 2025 across just 16 locations. Starring Benicio del Toro, the film appeals to a youthful audience, with 59% of viewers aged 18–34, and 56% male.
Top-performing markets included Los Angeles (9.6%), New York (8.3%), and San Francisco (4.6%). Notably, Alamo Drafthouse theaters contributed an impressive 7.5% of the weekend gross — quadrupling their usual market share.
This success echoes Anderson’s past release Asteroid City, which also launched on the same number of screens in June 2023, reaching $9 million in a less crowded market.
Neon Bets on Emotional Storytelling with The Life Of Chuck
Neon is testing new marketing territory with The Life Of Chuck, a film adapted from a Stephen King novella and directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House). The film earned $216,000 from just 16 screens ahead of a major rollout to 1,000 theaters next weekend. It’s positioned as a deeply emotional and philosophical story exploring what it means to be human — told in reverse through the life of Chuck Krantz, a small-town accountant.
Winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award, the film features a notable cast including Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Jacob Tremblay. With strong early reception and strategic placements in cities like Chicago, Phoenix, and Boston, Neon hopes to generate momentum through word-of-mouth. A special screening in Austin honored the late Scott Wampler, a journalist and co-host of the Kingcast podcast.
Horror Titles from A24 and IFC Expand the Genre’s Reach
A24’s latest horror feature Bring Her Back, from Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk To Me), landed at number 7 with a $3.5 million second-weekend gross across 2,425 theaters — pushing its total to $14.1 million.
IFC Films’ shark thriller Dangerous Animals had a modest debut of $1.54 million across 1,636 screens. Meanwhile, anime fans turned out for Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye from GKids, which earned $3.1 million in its opening weekend. The feature includes highlights from previous and upcoming seasons of the DAN DA DAN series, plus interviews with directors Fuga Yamashiro and Abel Góngora.
Smaller Indies Continue to Find Their Audience
Other releases included I Don’t Understand You from Vertical, debuting to $164.2k across 253 screens, and The Last Twins from Abramorama, which brought in $5.3k in its NYC run at the Quad. Holdover Jane Austen Wrecked My Life from Sony Pictures Classics grossed $190.2k in week three, bringing its total to $1.4 million.
Despite tough competition from mainstream studios, indie titles like these continue to prove that there’s an eager audience for diverse, genre-blending storytelling — whether it’s horror, drama, or literary adaptations. Even powerhouse platforms like Netflix must compete with the fresh narratives being embraced on the big screen.
