Wes Anderson’s new film “Moonrise Kingdom,” which tells a story of two dissatisfied, soul-searching 12-year-olds falling in love in 1960s New England, shattered limited-release box office records with a gross of $669,486 over the four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend. The movie’s distributor, Focus Features, confirmed that its per-location average of $130,752 by Sunday while playing in four theaters was in fact the highest average ever for a non-animated film, a record previously held by “Dreamgirls.”
I saw it on Friday, the day it came out, and though I’m a card-carrying member of Wes Anderson’s most devoted fan club (there’s not a film in his repertoire that doesn’t charm me and every other twenty-something Brooklyn girl to death), don’t let my bias sway you: this movie is seriously good. I have been known to hate on child actors, who are often awkward and contrived enough to ruin an otherwise decent movie, so I had my doubts going into the theater. But Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, the two young stars who had never acted professionally prior to being casted, were delightful. I won’t give too much away, but you have to see this movie if you haven’t already, whether you’re a fan of Anderson’s previous films or not (but especially if you are). Right now “Moonrise Kingdom” is only playing at select theaters in New York and Los Angeles, but Focus will be extending the distribution to several hundred theaters throughout the month. You can watch the trailer here. [CBS News]
