Memorial Day Marks Another Strong Showing for YOUNG@HEART and a Surprising Resurgence for OSAMA

With summer now in full gear and the first major doc of the season - Christopher Bell's BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER* - due this Friday, there's still some life in at least 3 spring nonfiction titles. 

Stephen Walker's YOUNG@HEART continues to expand gradually with great success.  Now in slightly more than 200 theaters, the film took in an average of just under $2K per, bringing the film to $2.5 million in box office. 

Generating some surprise is the new resilience shown by Morgan Spurlock's WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?, which posted its second best weekend average to date.  We noted last week that the film had an uptick in its average box office totals after what many deemed a dismal start.  Combined with the fact that the film is now playing in smaller markets (with lower ticket prices), some theaters for WHERE IN THE WORLD are more full than they've ever been.

Meanwhile, Marc Pellington and Catherine Owens' U23D made nearly $100,000 this weekend, bringing its cume to over $8 million and will continue to stand as the year's top nonfiction title (at least for now) as EXPELLED continues its slowdown.  It also stands as the top non-political documentary since 2005's MARCH OF THE PENGUINS.

Here's the 2008 Nonfiction Box Office through the Memorial Day weekend:

1.    U23D (National Geographic)                                           $  8,121,948

2.    EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED (Rocky)    $  7,598,071

3.    SHINE A LIGHT (Paramount Vantage)                           $  5,223,448

4.    YOUNG@HEART (Fox Searchlight)                               $  2,510,297

5.    VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST... (Picturehouse)           $    603,894

6.    UP THE YANGTZE (Zeitgeist/Kino)                             ~ $    596,500

7.    WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA... (Weinstein)         $    381,167

8.    TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (THINKFilm)                         $    274,306

9.    PLANET B-BOY (Elephant Eye)                                     $    270,208

10.   STEEP (SPC)                                                              $    260,586

11.  THE SINGING REVOLUTION (Abramorama)                   $    198,699

12.  CHICAGO 10 (Roadside Attractions)                               $    173,052

13.  STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SPC)               $    154,451

14.  GIRLS ROCK! (Shadow)                                                $    134,554

15.  BRA BOYS (Slowhand)                                                  $    130,524