Box Office: Lars von Trier’s ‘Nymphomaniac’ Tanking in U.S. Debut

Lars von Trier‘s sexually explicit Nymphomaniac: Volume I is anything but potent in its limited U.S. debut.

The film — which is being released unrated after earning an NC-17 from the MPAA’s ratings board — opened in 16 theaters on Friday. Based on early returns, the movie may gross under $110,000 for the weekend, putting its location average south of $7,000.

So far, it is doing best in New York and Los Angeles.

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Magnolia, which is releasing Nymphomaniac in the U.S, made the film available first on VOD in early March. To date, Magnolia hasn’t released VOD grosses.

Von Trier’s sexual opus stars frequent collaborators Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard, as well as Shia LaBeouf, Uma Thurman, Christian Slater and newcomer Stacy Martin.

In February, LaBeouf made headlines around the globe when abruptly leaving a press conference for Nymphomaniac at the Berlin Film Festival. Several hours later, he appeared on the red carpet before the movie’s premiere wearing a paper bag on his head.

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Von Trier has said that Nymphomaniac, which he decided to release in two parts, is the final chapter in a trilogy that began with Melancholia and Antichrist, both of which did more business.

Opening in November 2011, Melancholia — rated R — grossed $257,174 from 19 theaters on its first weekend for a screen average of $13,535 (Magnolia also distributed that film domestically).

Antichrist, which was released unrated by IFC in October 2009, opened to $71,397 from only six theaters for a location average of $11,900.

Magnolia opens Nymphomaniac: Volume II in select theaters on April 4.