GIVE A TIARA TO `LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE' QUIRKY FILM BIGGEST INDIE HIT OF SUMMER.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer Can a quirky quirk n. 1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: "Every man had his own quirks and twists" Harriet Beecher Stowe. 2. comedy about a dysfunctional family dysfunctional family Psychology A family with multiple 'internal'–eg sibling rivalries, parent-child– conflicts, domestic violence, mental illness, single parenthood, or 'external'–eg alcohol or drug abuse, extramarital affairs, gambling, on a road trip to a beauty pageant in an old VW bus become the biggest indie hit since ``My Big Fat Greek Wedding''? In limited release, ``Little Miss Sunshine'' is gaining the kind of word- of-mouth momentum that distributors dream about, with audiences ranging from teens to senior citizens of both genders. The film, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, is being propelled into wide release over the next two weekends faster than planned because of sensational business in its first three weeks in selected markets, including Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . ``It's very evident that it's playing extremely well and that people like it,'' said Steve Gilula, chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. of Fox Searchlight searchlight, device, usually swiveled, using a lens and reflecting surface to direct a powerful beam of light of nearly parallel rays. In 1892 such apparatus was used along the English Channel in coastal defense and later, in the South African War, as an aid to , which released the film. ``It's very funny, very smart and very distinctive. The word of mouth is supporting our expansion.'' ``Sunshine'' was written by Michael Arndt and stars Greg Kinnear Gregory Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and television personality, who rose to stardom as the first host of E!'s Talk Soup. , Toni Collette, Steve Carell Steven John Carell (born August 16, 1962)[1] is a Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated American comedian, actor, producer and writer, who rose to fame as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, from 1999 to 2004. , Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin, among others. It landed in the top 12 last weekend despite playing in just 153 theaters, and it had an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. average gross per theater of $17,014 for a weekend take of $2.6 million. Searchlight has had success the past two summers with this kind of platform release with ``Thank You For Smoking'' last year and ``Napoleon Dynamite'' in 2004. But ``Sunshine'' is already on a much higher trajectory that compares favorably with the course taken in early weeks by ``Greek Wedding,'' which went on to gross $241.4 million domestically after spending nearly a year in theatrical release. By its third weekend in 2002, ``Greek Wedding'' was in 147 locations and had grossed $660,0000, compared with the three-week total of $5.6 million for ``Sunshine.'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. ``This one is already on a quicker trajectory, but `Greek Wedding' had legs like we've never seen,'' said Exhibitor Relations President Paul Dergarabedian. ``Sunshine,'' like ``Greek Wedding,'' generated early word-of-mouth buzz through special screenings before its official release. ``It's the indie darling of the summer and so far is showing a lot of muscle,'' said Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. ``It has this combination of strong reviews and electric word of mouth that is buzzing from the first few cities it played. It's getting more publicity, like the cover of `Entertainment Weekly,' and is being released at the right time. When you hit August, moviegoers are numbed by all the popcorn movies.'' Gilula said the movie will be in at least 600 theaters on Friday and then in 1,500 by Aug. 25. The original plan was to be at 300-400 theaters by the end of this week with the hope of booking 1,000 theaters by the following weekend. That was the pattern Searchlight followed with ``Smoking'' and ``Napoleon.'' ``This is where the subtle nuances of release date and release pattern come into play,'' Dergarabedian said. ``You have to strategically release the film into the marketplace, and that is exactly what Fox Searchlight has done, and so far, it has paid off. We'll see how the broader market reacts in the coming weeks as the film expands.'' greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com (818)713-3758 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) From left, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, 10-year-old Abigail Breslin, directors Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris, and Greg Kinnear attend the recent premiere of ``Little Miss Sunshine'' at the Wadsworth Theatre in Sawtelle. Mark Mainz/Getty Images |
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