Moviegoers, he added, "really like the movie. So we're very excited. After a fairly dry summer for the specialized product, it's nice (to see Girl arrive with such strength) and really take off like this."
It's also a release time that's worked well for Fox Searchlight in the past. "We have a great history here," Gilula said. "It's exactly the same week we opened The Deep End last year. And Full Monty opened in mid-August. Searchlight's first film back in '95, The Brothers McMullen, opened on this weekend. It's kind of a lucky week for us.
"We would have liked to have opened earlier in the summer, but partly it had to do with scheduling Jennifer's availability to really work on pre-publicity. Everything really came together. By this time in the summer the moviegoing audience is ready for something more different and more substantial than the big action popcorn movies and the big sequels. I think that our timing again this year turned out to be just perfect."
United Artists' R rated comedy 24 Hour Party People, released through MGM, opened to an encouraging and energetic ESTIMATED $34,000 at 2 theaters in New York ($17,000 per theater).
Directed by Michael Winterbottom, it stars Steve Coogan.
Sony Pictures Classics' G rated comedy Secret Ballot got few votes from moviegoers, opening to an ESTIMATED $14,000 at 5 theaters ($2,725 per theater).
The film's Iranian writer-director Babak Payami was honored as best director at the Venice Film Festival.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend Miramax's R rated drama Full Frontal added theaters in its second week, but failed to spark moviegoer interest with an ESTIMATED $0.37 million at 214 theaters (+6 theaters; $1,711 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.4 million.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it stars David Duchovny, Nicky Katt, Catherine Keener, Mary McCormack, David Hyde Pierce, Julia Roberts and Blair Underwood.
Miramax's PG-13 romantic comedy Tadpole expanded in its fourth week to a chaste ESTIMATED $0.28 million at 92 theaters (+45 theaters; $3,007 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.1 million.
Directed by Gary Winick, it stars Sigourney Weaver, John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth and Aaron Stanford.
Focus Features' R rated The Kid Stays in the Picture, the "unbelievable true tale of Robert Evans," went wider in its third week with a still encouraging ESTIMATED $0.2 million at 45 theaters (+40 theaters; $4,422 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.5 million.