This past weekend saw the unusual coincidence of two major classics being re-released theatrically at the same time.Akira Kurosawa’s final masterpiece,Ran, was re-issued in 15 locations in honor of its 40th anniversary, while the Italian maestroFederico Fellini’s semi-autobiographical classic8½was re-released in just one location. That’s all it needed to deliverthe third-best per-theater average of any movie currently in release. Remember, we’re talking about the lucrative Memorial Day weekend, which witnessed total business hit the $330 million mark.
Thousands of theaters were booked out for Disney’sLilo & Stitchremakeand Paramount’sMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. WhileLilo & Stitchdelivered a Memorial Day record $180 million-plus in its first four days of release,The Final Reckoningearned a franchise-record $79 million in the same frame. Both movies also claimed the top two spots on the weekend box office charts, in terms of revenue and per-theater average.Fellini’s landmark film delivered the weekend’s third-biggest PTA of over $6,000.
In doing so, it outperformedFinal Destination Bloodlines, which isn’t a title that Fellini would’ve ever imaginedone of his moviescompeting against. This wasBloodlines' second weekend of release, during which it generated nearly $20 million domestically. In total, the movie has made over $90 million.8½also edged out holdover hits such asA Minecraft Movie,Sinners, andThunderbolts*. In the decades since its release, the movie has cemented itself as an all-time classic, with filmmakers such asMartin ScorseseandDavid Fincherlisting it as one of their favorites.
Fellini’s Classic Has Influenced Major Directors
8½has consistently found spots on Sight & Sound magazine’s Greatest Films of All Time lists; it also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Feature. Starring the dashingMarcello Mastroianniand the ravishingClaudia Cardinale,8½is a meta movie about a film director suffering from a creative block.Woody Allenpaid homage to it with his 1980 comedyStardust Memories; the dance-off betweenUma ThurmanandJohn Travolta’s characters inQuentin Tarantino’sPulp Fictionwas directly inspired by a scene in it, as was theDaniel Day-Lewis-led musicalNine.8½holds a near-perfect 97%Rotten Tomatoes score. You can watch8½on the big screen if you’re able, or you can check it out domestically on Max and Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
