The Hate U Give made an impressive debut this weekend at the specialty box office.
The police brutality drama from 20th Century Fox opened in limited release, earning an estimated $500,000 from 36 theaters across North America.
That averaged out to $13,889 per location in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Houston.
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Screenwriter Audrey Wells, who passed away on Oct. 4 just before the film opened, adapted the script from Angie Thomas’ bestselling novel.
George Tillman, Jr. directed the film, with Amandla Stenberg leading the cast as Starr Carter,
a Harry Potter-obsessed high school student who witnesses the fatal shooting of Khalil, her childhood best friend, by a police officer.
Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Issa Rae, Common, Algee Smith, Anthony Mackie, K.J. Apa and Sabrina Carpenter round out the cast.
The Hate U Give has received positive reviews from critics and will expand nationwide on Oct. 19.
Elsewhere at the box office, Venom devoured ticket sales with an $80 million debut, and a first-place finish.
A Star Is Born sang its way to a stunning $41.2 million second-place opening.
Smallfoot was third with $14.9 million.
Last week’s leader, Night School, slipped to fourth place with $12.2 million, and The House With A Clock In Its Walls took fifth with $7.2 million.
