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The specialty box office delivered a relatively quiet weekend, with a handful of independent titles holding steady while a few new releases tested the market ahead of the upcoming Oscars ceremony. Among the standouts was Neon’s documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert, which continued to perform solidly in its third week of release.
The music documentary directed by Baz Luhrmann held the number nine spot at the domestic box office while playing on 1,965 screens across the United States. The film is expected to generate about $1.5 million during the weekend, pushing its total domestic earnings to roughly $10.9 million. While the broader independent film market remains calm at the moment, the documentary has managed to maintain consistent interest from audiences drawn to Elvis Presley’s enduring cultural influence.
Another new release entering theaters this weekend was the action thriller Protector, starring Milla Jovovich. The film opened to an estimated weekend gross of $744,000 across just over 1,000 screens. Directed by Adrian Grunberg and released by Magenta Light Studios, the movie entered the crowded action market with moderate results but still managed to attract viewers looking for a straightforward action offering during a slower theatrical period.
Meanwhile, the annual 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts program continued its theatrical run through Roadside Attractions. The three part showcase, which includes animated, live action, and documentary short films nominated for Academy Awards, is expected to earn around $545,000 from 325 screens this weekend. That result brings the program’s cumulative total to approximately $2.98 million. As in previous years, the Oscar shorts collection typically sees its strongest interest during the awards season and will conclude its theatrical run after next Sunday’s ceremony.
Horror fans also had something new to check out as IFC Films Entertainment released Dolly. The film opened on 810 screens and earned an estimated $480,000 during its debut weekend. The creepy thriller entered theaters quietly but managed to draw attention from genre audiences looking for a fresh horror experience.
One of the most notable specialty openings of the weekend came from acclaimed documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi. His Venice prize winning documentary Pompei: Below The Clouds made its theatrical debut with $18,800 from just two theaters in New York City. The film played to sold out screenings at both the Walter Reade Theatre and the IFC Center, an encouraging sign for its upcoming expansion.
The black and white documentary offers a portrait of contemporary life in Naples while living under the looming presence of Mount Vesuvius. Critical response has been extremely strong, with the film holding a 97 percent approval rating from critics based on early reviews. Following the successful New York launch, the film is scheduled to expand next weekend into Los Angeles and Chicago before continuing its rollout to additional major markets throughout March.
Several holdover titles also remained active in the specialty marketplace. Neon continues to maintain a notable presence with multiple films still playing on more than 100 screens. Sirat crossed the $1 million mark after earning $353,000 this weekend in its fifth week of release. Meanwhile, The Secret Agent added $94,000 to reach a cumulative total of $4.1 million in its fifteenth week, and Sentimental Value brought in $23,000, pushing its total earnings to $5.1 million during its eighteenth week in theaters.
Another Neon release, Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie, continued its steady run. Now in its fourth week, the film added $228,000 for a cumulative total of $3.6 million.
Elsewhere in the specialty market, A24’s Oscar hopeful Marty Supreme, which has been in theaters since Christmas, collected another $240,000 from 890 screens. The film has now reached an impressive cumulative gross of $95.6 million. A24 also has Pillion, starring Alexander Skarsgard, which earned $349,000 from 369 screens over the three day weekend to reach $3.2 million overall.
Finally, GKids’ historical drama Kokuho, which previously broke box office records in Japan, surpassed $1 million domestically while playing on 41 screens in its fifth week. The film earned $45,700 over the weekend as it continues its specialty market run.
With the Academy Awards approaching, the independent box office is expected to remain relatively steady, with attention gradually shifting toward post Oscar releases and expanding specialty titles like Pompei: Below The Clouds.
