Brian Brooks is Managing Editor of MovieLine.It’s not every weekend that a specialty release can claim a record, but The Master opened with an incredible $145,949 per-theater average, the best limited release ever for a live-action film, topping another record-breaker from earlier this year, Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, which bowed with with an average of $130,749 at four locations.

The Master director Paul Thomas Anderson’s previous film, There Will Be Blood averaged $95,370 when it opened back in 2007 in two theaters.“We’re thrilled with the numbers.

It set the screen record and all the credit in the world goes to Paul Thomas Anderson with his gorilla marketing strategy combined with moving the [release date] to this weekend,” said said TWC Head of Distribution Erik Loomis.

“I’m expecting my phone to ring off the hook from exhibitors tomorrow.” The Weinstein Company had initially set an October rollout of The Master which picked up two big awards at the recent Venice Film Festival where it was rumored to have actually been the jury’s pick for the top prize, the Golden Lion, until fest officials enforced a rule that limits the number of big awards per flick because The Master won in the director and best actor categories.

Loomis credited the cast’s performances for bringing out audiences over the weekend and PTA for organizing pop-up screenings, driving word-of-mouth.

Loomis called the strategy “an eye-opener” that clearly worked.

“We could not be ...... See Complete Article @ Deadline Hollywood