Equinoxe Films is cautiously rolling out Charlie Kaufman’s oddball dramedy Synecdoche, New York on Friday with hopes to draw out fans of art cinema across the country.

The screenwriter’s directorial debut bows in Toronto, and expands to Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Victoria next week, targeted at male and female audiences aged 25-40, according to Equinoxe director of distribution and marketing Karynn Austin.

‘We are confident that between the excellent reviews and fans of both Charlie Kaufman and [star] Philip Seymour Hoffman, the film will perform well,’ she tells Playback Daily, adding the film is ‘working in the U.S.’ Synecdoche has made US$400,000 to date south of the border on nine screens, since opening Oct. 24, according to Box Office Mojo.

The film has critics either loving or hating it, with The Hollywood Reporter noting it will ‘mesmerize some… while many will be bored silly.’ Toronto’s Now magazine claims that ‘with his own hand on the joystick, Kaufman burrows further into his idiosyncratic world than ever before.’ The film follows the life and loves of a cynical, miserable theater director, played by Hoffman.

Meanwhile, the late Bernie Mac stars in two U.S. releases this weekend, including the Paramount Pictures’ animation Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, in which he portrays the voice of Zuba the lion. Mac also stars in the musical comedy Soul Men, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, handled here by Alliance Films. Madagascar bows on nearly 4,000 North American screens, while Soul Men will play on half that number. The weekend’s other wide release is the Universal comedy Role Models, with Seann William Scott of American Pie fame, on 2,700 screens.

Among quieter releases this week is the French drama I’ve Loved You So Long, on one screen each in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver through Mongrel Media, while Maple Pictures’ Second World War drama The Boy in the Striped Pajamas plays at Toronto’s Varsity theater.

KinoSmith Films bows the documentary Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma, from White Pine Pictures, in Toronto, while Maximum Films is set to release the Hamilton, ON-shot gambling drama Real Time in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.