The weekend’s box office saw a strong sophomore frame for NAZA, the self-distributed documentary examining Israel‘s military operations in Gaza.
Filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who were both credited as directors on 2024’s Oscar-winning No Other Land, helmed the new film that expanded to 85 North American locations in 30 cities after debuting the week prior at the IFC Center in New York City. NAZA looks to gross $378,250 domestically for the four-day weekend, averaging $4,450 per screen. This pushes it past the $500,000 mark, as its domestic sum is expected to reach $504,074 by Monday.
NAZA premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where it won the special jury prize after receiving a record-setting ovation that surpassed 20 minutes. NAZA is being released independently in the U.S. with the support of The Guardian and MK2, and the movie is set to add more theaters in the weeks to come.
It holds a sterling 100 percent critics approval on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Mintzer deemed NAZA a “sober and thoroughly documented bombshell of an exposé.”
As the movie expanded over the weekend, the Israeli-American Council organized a protest on Friday outside of the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood, where the documentary was screening. IAC chief operating officer Aya Shechter explained in a statement, “Our message is clear: Wherever lies are told about Israel, we will show up with the truth.” The group also organized protesters during NAZA’s premiere at the New York Film Festival in September.
Earlier this month, the Israeli Defense Force criticized the film as “a distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture of the IDF’s target planning and striking process.”
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