Wicker: Sundance Breakout Set to Top $20M, Sparks Awards Buzz

After coming up short for an Oscar last year with “Train Dreams,” Black Bear is once again positioning itself in the awards conversation for a consecutive year.

The studio led by Teddy Schwarzman is drawing accolades for its Sundance pickup, “Wicker,” while the acquisition is also giving a boost to Black Bear’s fledgling U.S. distribution arm.

“Wicker,” which sold for $2.5 million at the festival and represents the 15-year-old company’s first-ever U.S. acquisition, has solid awards credentials. The film sits in the 90s on Rotten Tomatoes, has strong buzz, and stars indie favorites Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard, performers who tend to resonate with Academy voters.

The picture also has a respectable festival pedigree, coming from Tango and Topic Studios — the latter behind recent festival hits like “The Debut” and “Club Kid,” as well as last year’s “A Real Pain,” which helped Kieran Culkin take home a Best Supporting Actor trophy.

Black Bear is already mounting an awards push, targeting Colman and Skarsgard for acting nominations in addition to technical and craft categories, as the film is slated to remain in theaters through much of November.

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Following a string of disappointing box office results for its new distribution efforts, “Wicker” is delivering a financial win for Black Bear.

The movie — in which Colman plays a solitary fisherwoman who becomes romantically involved with a man constructed from a wicker basket (Skarsgard) — has significantly outperformed the studio’s expectations. Insiders say Black Bear initially forecast total grosses in the $5 million to $7 million range; instead, the film opened to $5.7 million across more than 1,400 screens in its first weekend. When it widened to roughly 2,300 screens in its second weekend, “Wicker” added another $4.4 million.

Through Wednesday, the title has reached $15.9 million and is projected to clear the $20 million threshold sometime next week. The release even enjoyed a brief 4DX engagement on about 80 screens — what began as a one-day event was extended to a week.

Competition will tighten this weekend with three new wide releases, including “Godzilla Minus Zero,” which is anticipated to debut at No. 1, along with “Club Kid” and the animated “Cat in the Hat.”