A24 comedy “The Invite” leads specialty box office with top per-screen limited opening, Deadline reports

A24’s limited-release comedy “The Invite,” directed by Olivia Wilde, is off to its strongest start of the summer season for specialty theaters, according to Deadline’s box-office tracking. The film grossed $379,000 over the weekend on just seven screens in New York and Los Angeles, a result that Deadline characterized as the highest per-screen average of the weekend.

The per-screen performance translated into an estimated $54,000 per location, Deadline reported, citing the small-audience scale of the run as the key driver behind the top specialty metric. Deadline also noted that the opening placed the film among the strongest limited openings of the year.

Deadline reported that audiences responded quickly to the initial dates, with sold-out showings in both New York and Los Angeles. The paper described the turnout as enthusiastic, pointing to strong demand concentrated among the theaters carrying the release.

The film’s release strategy, as described by Deadline, reflects the current specialty distribution model where smaller openings are used to generate visibility and audience momentum before any broader move. With only seven screens accounted for in the weekend figures, “The Invite” is demonstrating commercial traction at the start of its rollout.

“The Invite” is produced and distributed by A24, and the performance gives the studio another data point in how indie-led comedies can compete for attention even with a limited footprint. In specialty markets, per-screen averages and sell-through rates often matter as much as overall grosses, because they indicate how well a title is finding its audience on day one.

For the exhibitors that booked the film, the reported sold-out runs suggest capacity pressures, including whether additional seats can be added through expanded showtimes or through additional theater placements. The weekend results also offer a snapshot of audience timing, since limited releases can be especially sensitive to how quickly theaters sell through early demand.

Deadline’s reporting centered on the weekend’s specialty box office performance and the early reception in New York and Los Angeles. Further updates on screen counts and longer-range movement were not included in the published summary, leaving the next phase of the release plan dependent on subsequent reporting.