John Wilson's 'The History of Concrete' Crosses $2 Million

John Wilson's documentary "The History of Concrete" has grossed $2,042,000 in North America, 25 days into its run. That figure makes it a genuine indie hit for Magnolia, the studio that picked the film up at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

The exact total, $2,042,000, is a strong result for any non-fiction release. It also confirms the drawing power of Wilson, whose HBO series "How To with John Wilson" built him a devoted following. The new film applies his absurdist lens to urbanism and architecture.

The film is currently playing on 172 screens across North America, including 11 in Canada. It will drop to 125 screens this weekend as it sheds some venues.

Where is the money coming from?

New York's IFC Center has done the heaviest lifting. "The History of Concrete" has passed $300,000 at the indie theater, making it one of the IFC Center's highest-grossing titles ever.

Magnolia's distribution and marketing head, Neal Block, said the appeal isn't confined to one city. "'The History of Concrete' has worked in every market we've opened," Block said.

He also noted an unusually enthusiastic response from theater owners. "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."

Block's read on why it works is telling. "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."

What does this change for documentaries?

In practical terms, it shows a non-fiction film with a cult director and a distinctive voice can still expand theatrically instead of going straight to streaming. The screen count — holding at 172 in week four, before a planned trim to 125 — suggests word of mouth is doing real work.

The awards season is now lending a hand. This week the film picked up four Critic's Choice nominations:

• Best documentary feature
• Best first documentary feature
• Editing
• Narration

Those nods, plus the exhibitor demand for encore screenings Block described, point to a run that could keep building as nominations translate into audience awareness. For Magnolia, a Sundance bet on a singular voice has become one of the year's clearest specialized-cinema wins.

By Grace Kim