A big marketing push towards a small number of screens added up to very strong numbers for Being Julia, which during its Oct. 15 opening weekend scored $21,000 at a single theater in Toronto and another US$122,000 from south of the border, for a per-screen average of US$13,500, setting the stage for a widening release in both countries.

Canadian distributor ThinkFilm says the Istvan Szabo dramedy will expand to other cities throughout October, reaching Vancouver and Montreal in its second week and a full 70 theaters across Canada by Oct. 29. It opened opposite Team America: World Police and the Winnipeg-shot Shall We Dance?

Being Julia stars Annette Bening as a faded stage diva and opened last month’s Toronto International Film Festival, drawing cheers from audiences but only lukewarm reviews. It is carried in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics.

Meanwhile, after 10 days in four theatres in Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver, Wilby Wonderful has averaged just $3,700. The Daniel MacIvor comedy about life in an oddball small town is handled by Mongrel Media.