INDIE FILMS DISAPPOINT AT BOX OFFICE

Escape from Tomorrow, which has been described as a “guerrilla production” shot at Walt Disney World without authorization, failed to enlist many followers as it debuted in 30 theaters with $66,112 — or $2,204 per theater. It was also available via video-on-demand, but there was no indication of how many takers there were on that platform. Several other independent films debuted over the weekend with equally mediocre results. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, which, like Escape from Tomorrow, had debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year, took in around $260,000 at 147 theaters — or around $1,769 per theater. And the latest version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet bowed on 461 screens with $509,000 — or $1,104 per theater. Meanwhile, the Russian World War II epic Stalingrad opened in Russia and Ukraine over the weekend with a record $15.5 million. The film is the first Russian movie shot completely in 3D and the first non-U.S. film presented in the IMAX format.