Focus Features’ limited launch of Wes Anderson’s espionage comedy “The Phoenician Scheme” generated $570,000 from six venues in New York and Los Angeles across the May 30-June 1 frame, translating to a $95,000 per-theater average—the strongest specialty debut of 2025 and the biggest since “Barbenheimer” year. The figure edges past A24’s previous leader “Friendship,” which opened to $445,000 on half as many screens earlier this spring.
Focus acquired worldwide rights in February and is partnering again with Indian Paintbrush after “Asteroid City” and “Moonrise Kingdom,” continuing a relationship that has delivered steady arthouse returns for the studio. Shot at Germany’s Babelsberg Studios with €10.4 million backing from the federal film fund, the production reunites Anderson with cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and composer Alexandre Desplat.
“The Phoenician Scheme” premiered in competition at Cannes on May 18, where it drew a four-minute standing ovation before heading to New York for a star-studded domestic premiere attended by Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks and Mia Threapleton. The ensemble also features Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed and Bryan Cranston in a 105-minute tale of a wounded industrialist who recruits his nun daughter and a Norwegian entomologist to foil rival tycoons.
Cera, making his first appearance in an Anderson film, praised the “communal atmosphere” on the Potsdam set and called the director’s meticulous blocking “a masterclass in rhythm”. Critical response stands at 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, though festival coverage ranked the picture mid-pack among this year’s Cannes entries, reflecting the polarised reception that often greets Anderson’s stylised approach.
Focus widens the release to roughly 850 locations on June 6 before an international rollout through Universal later in the month. Early overseas commitments, combined with the domestic launch, have lifted worldwide grosses to $6.8 million, positioning the film for a profitable specialty run if it maintains momentum beyond its core fan base .
