Strong Box Office for Irish Feature Films 'The Lobster' and 'Room' at Home and Overseas
Irish feature films The Lobster and Room have caught the attention of audiences after strong openings at the box office. The Lobster surpassed the €1 million mark at the Irish and UK box office on its second week of release, while Room was the top performing film in terms of per screen average upon its release in the United States.
The €1 million earned by The Lobster is deemed to be a breakout figure for any independent film. The critical hit experienced a remarkably low 2% drop in takings week on week. Released as a joint venture between Element Pictures Distribution in Ireland and Picturehouse in the UK, The Lobster was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and was the winner of the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film is a love story set in the near future where single people, according to the rules of The City, are arrested and transferred to The Hotel. There they are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choosing and released into The Woods. A desperate Man escapes from The Hotel to The Woods where The Loners live and falls in love, although it is against their rules.
The Lobster is written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou and produced by Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey and Yorgos Lanthimos. Executive Producers are Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross and Sam Lavender. The Lobster is an Element Pictures, Scarlet Films, Faliro House, Haut et Court, Lemming Film co-production in association with Limp and with Irish finance for the film from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and qualifies as a British film for the BIFAS by virtue of the fact that it is an official European co-production, including the UK.
Room generated incredibly strong reviews with a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The New York Post saying that "ROOM is one-of-a kind, must- see experience." The Seattle Times comment that you must "See it and be transformed", with the LA Times adding that "there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right in the moment with this singular film". Rolling Stone write that "Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay will blow your mind" and Observer says that it's "an unforgettable film that must be seen." Both highly suspenseful and deeply emotional, ROOM is a unique and unexpectedly tender exploration of the boundless love between a mother and her child under the most harrowing of circumstances. Irish audiences will have the opportunity to see Room when it's released in Irish cinemas on January 15, 2016.
Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney produced Room with David Gross. Executive producers are Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures and Jeff Arkuss and Jesse Shapira for No Trace Camping. Emma Donoghue, Rose Garnett (Film 4), Tessa Ross (Film 4), and David Kosse (Film 4) also serve as executive producers. Room is an Element Pictures and No Trace Camping production, in association with Film4, Telefilm Canada, and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board. A24 will distribute the film in the US, and Elevation Pictures is distributing the film in Canada. UTA handled the domestic sale. FilmNation Entertainment handled all international sales.