Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza,” previously projected to expand on Christmas Day to around 2,000 theaters, will now open at fewer than half.
United Artists informed hundreds of theaters this week, including many independents, that availability would be delayed.The film spent its first two weeks in only four New York/Los Angeles theaters and showed the best limited performer since “1917” in 2019.
It dropped only 22 percent in its second weekend, which attests to strong word of mouth.
Even more significant is its draw for audiences under 35, unusual for a late year awards-appeal release.Why the last-minute switch? UA president of distribution Erik Lomis is away from his office on a family matter and was unavailable for comment, but precedent for both this director’s films and other top awards contenders suggests this move represents faith in the film.In the past decade, leading awards contenders that platformed on or
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