‘Fighting With My Family’ Off to Strong Start at Indie Box Office

Jeremy Fuster

After premiering at Sundance in January, MGM/WWE Studios’ “Fighting With My Family” posted a solid four-screen opening in Los Angeles and New York at the indie box office ahead of its wide opening next weekend.

Over the 3-day launch, the film earned $131,625 for a solid per screen average of $32,906. After Presidents’ Day, that total is expected to grow to $163,000 with a per screen average of $40,750.

Directed by Stephen Merchant and produced by Dwayne Johnson — who also appears in the film as The Rock — the film stars Florence Pugh as Saraya “Paige” Bevis, a teen girl raised in a family of pro wrestlers in England.

Paige would go on to become a three-time champion in WWE and the youngest person in the company’s history to earn a title belt, but first she had to fight her way through tryouts and training to become a star, and face the family conflict that came when her brother, Zak, failed to pass the tryouts and join WWE as well. Jack Lowden, Nick Frost, Lena Headey and Vince Vaughn also star in the film, which has a 92 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and is projected for a $7 million wide opening next weekend.

Also releasing this weekend was the Bollywood import “Gully Boy,” which is estimated to earn a 4-day opening of $2.25 million from 260 screens for an average of $8,687. Premiering last weekend at the Berlin International Film Festival, “Gully Boy” stars Ranveer Singh as a boy from the slums of Mumbai who dreams of becoming a rap star. The film has a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score from 14 reviews, and has earned praise from Hollywood stars like Will Smith.

Among holdovers, the Chinese blockbuster “The Wandering Earth” is estimated to add $1.7 million from 135 screens this weekend. That will bring the film’s U.S. total to $4.1 million, with a weekend per screen average of $12,787.

Elsewhere, Focus Features’ “Everybody Knows” expanded to 23 screens in its second weekend and added $230,000 for a $10,000 average and a $325,000 total. Finally, the Warner Bros. WWI documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” crossed the $15 million mark after nine weekends in theaters, grossing $1.18 million from 626 screens.

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