'Licorice Pizza' Has the Best Pandemic Era Debut for an Indie Movie

Licorice Pizza is doing well at the indie box office.

The Paul Thomas Anderson‘s film brought in $335,000 from just four theaters in the country, two in New York and two in Los Angeles, via Variety.

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That tally is more than any other specialty film in nearly two years, making it the biggest debut among arthouse titles since the pandemic began.

In its first three days of release, it beat out C’mon C’mon, which previously held the record for best platform launch after generating $135,447 on five screens. Before that, Wes Anderson set the pandemic-era benchmark with The French Dispatch, which grossed $1.3 million from 52 theaters.

72% of viewers were between the ages of 18 and 34, while 66% were male.

Licorice Pizza is the Boogie Nights director’s first movie in four years, following 2017’s Phantom Thread.

Licorice Pizza is the story of Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973. The film tracks the treacherous navigation of first love.

The movie is also facing some backlash for some scenes – find out why.