With the end of 2019 now in sight, we’re entering the season of listicles. “Best of,” “top 10” and “biggest surprises” will flood every outlet out there, with good reason. It’s a way to highlight some movies that maybe didn’t get the attention they deserved. When it comes to the box office, there are obvious movies that made notable impacts, like the record-smashing “Avengers: Endgame” and now “Joker.” But not to be left behind, Bong Joon-ho’s critical-darling “Parasite” is challenging expectations, as it is set to become the highest-grossing international film at the domestic box office.
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The news comes from Variety, with a report that the South Korean black comedy film is expected to pass the $10 million milestone at the domestic box office this weekend. That total would make it the highest-grossing international film of the year in North America, surpassing the Mexican comedy “No Manches Frida 2” which grossed $9.27 million domestically after its March release.
Additionally, Forbes reports that the film is beating box office juggernaut and fellow Oscar-hopeful “Avengers: Endgame” and its box office per-theater average. Despite playing in just 461 theaters in its fourth week of release (and adding 142 locations this weekend), Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece is expected to outgross the per-theater average of the Marvel film, which played in 4220 theaters its fourth week.
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Indeed, according to the Forbes report, “Parasite” has beaten the superhero movie all but one single day of its theatrical run, until it dropped just below “Endgame” on this past week. Of course, the film isn’t grossing billions of dollars, but it shows that audiences are willing to go to the theater for different experiences, and are hungry for more of Jessica’s doorbell jingle.