‘I Love Boosters’ Struggles to Steal Spotlight at Box Office

I Love Boosters had critical buzz and a stellar cast, yet the heist comedy underwhelmed this weekend at the box office.

The film from writer-director Boots Riley opened in eighth place after earning a projected $3.7 million in three days, Comscore reported Sunday.

The crime caper is expected to ring up another $1 million in ticket sales on the Memorial Day holiday, boosting its four-day total to the $4.6 million-range against a reported $20 million budget.

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Independent production company Neon gave the film a semi-wide opening in 1,750 locations. It averaged a modest $2,127 per theater this weekend, putting a wider release in jeopardy.

I Love Boosters follows a shoplifting crew, led by Keke Palmer, that steals from high-end designer stores to re-sell the clothes at discounted prices. The crew targets Christie Smith, a fashion maven played by Demi Moore, who is apparently guilty of stealing creative ideas from other designers.

The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, Poppy Liu, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle, Eiza González, Will Poulter, and Mahdi Cocci.

In an exchange last week on X, Riley urged fans to go see I Love Boosters on its opening weekend.

“Ok- We didn’t get the screen count we wanted for I Love Boosters- but we got 1700, which is good,” the director posted on May 21. “This means: if it’s not on a screen near u tomorrow, it won’t get there-unless we blow it out on 1700, then we can get more. So- please travel to a screen even if it’s not close!”

Asked by a fan how many screens would have been ideal, Riley responded: “We were aiming for at least 2000, we actually got 1750 it turns out. It really ends up being up to exhibitors. They’re betting on Mandalorian. We can expand the number if we over index.”

Disney’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opened at No. 1 with an estimated $81.9 million three-day total. The film played in 4,300 locations across the U.S. and Canada, averaging $19,060 per theater, according to Comscore.

I Love Boosters premiered to strong reviews in March at the 2026 SXSW festival, and currently has a strong 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Chase Hutchinson of TheWrap wrote, “Riley, proving himself to be a romantic just as he is a believer in revolution, clearly not only loves these boosters with hearts of gold, but anyone that is trying to make it all work for themselves and those around them.”

Brooke Obie of Black Girl Watching added, “If you’re up for a vicious tear-down of the world of high-fashion, the billionaire class and capitalism, just hang on and enjoy the riotous, liberating ride.”

Below is the box office chart from Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends, at Comscore.