It’s another milestone for “The History of Concrete.” The off-beat documentary about… well, the title says it all, has crossed the $2 million mark 25 days into its run. That’s a strong result for a non-fiction film, as well as a testament to the appeal of its director John Wilson, who has built a passionate following thanks to his cult favorite HBO series “How To with John Wilson.”
Magnolia, the indie studio behind the documentary, picked up the film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it was a hit with critics. The total gross now stands at $2,042,000. “The History of Concrete” is currently playing on 172 screens in North America, which includes 11 screens in Canada. It will shed some venues this weekend, dropping to 125 screens.
The film, which touches on issues of urbanism and architecture with Wilson’s absurdist flair, has been a huge hit at the IFC Center, surpassing $300,000, making it one of the indie theater’s highest-grossing titles ever.
“‘The History of Concrete’ has worked in every market we’ve opened,” said Neal Block, Magnolia’s head of distribution and marketing. “I don’t think in my 20 years at Magnolia that I’ve ever received more emails from exhibitors expressing delight at how a film is performing, and asking to book return engagements and encore screenings. It’s not playing like a documentary; it’s not playing like a comedy — it’s sort of charting its own path theatrically, since it’s very much its own singular piece of art.”
“The History of Concrete” also picked up four Critic’s Choice nominations this week, including nods for best documentary feature and best first documentary feature. It was also nominated for its editing and narration.