Elliot Page’s New Film “Close to You” Expands U.S. Release After Strong Summer Box Office and Festival Buzz

Distributors confirmed that Elliot Page’s intimate drama “Close to You,” which he stars in and produced, will expand to additional U.S. theaters this week after sustaining a solid specialty box office since its initial summer rollout.

“Close to You,” directed by Dominic Savage and co-written with Elliot Page through a collaborative, improvisational process, follows a transgender man returning home for a fraught family visit, an encounter that rekindles an old connection and forces a reckoning with identity and belonging. The drama, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 to warm audience response, has been positioned as a personal milestone for Page and a bellwether for trans-led narratives in North American arthouse exhibition.

The expansion reflects a late-summer surge in interest as Page ramped up select in-person appearances and interviews emphasizing the importance of transgender people guiding their own stories—on and off screen. Publicists for the release pointed to consistent sell-outs in key markets and a durable per-theater average over recent weekends, though full figures were not disclosed by press time.

Industry observers note that Page’s dual role as producer and lead has been central to the campaign. In interviews around the rollout, Page underscored how working in a devised, actor-led format with director Dominic Savage allowed him to draw on lived experience without resorting to stereotype, a method the team says was crucial to the film’s authenticity.

Exhibitors say the film’s audience skews intergenerational, with many LGBTQ+ viewers attending alongside family members—mirroring the film’s core themes of reconciliation. Theater programmers in Los Angeles and New York reported strong post-screening discussions and community partnerships with local LGBTQ+ centers.

For Page—who came out as transgender in 2020—this release marks a notable turn toward creative control following acclaimed performances in mainstream franchises and prestige television. He has described “Close to You” as an effort to “put a trans person’s interiority at the center” of a universal family story rather than a didactic issue film, aligning with broader calls from advocates for nuanced portrayals.

The film’s path from its 2023 Toronto premiere to a 2025 U.S. expansion illustrates the evolving ecosystem for LGBTQ+ cinema. Distributors have increasingly leaned on platform releases and community partnerships to convert festival acclaim into steady box office over time—especially for dialogue-driven dramas led by queer and transgender talent.

While box-office data for smaller expansions can be opaque, industry trackers note that “Close to You” benefited from Page’s sustained media presence and the film’s resonance during a year when LGBTQ+ stories have remained a focal point at festivals from Tribeca to Outfest. Programming teams cited the film’s empathetic approach to family estrangement and reunion as a driver for post-screening conversations and repeat attendance.

Looking ahead, awards strategists suggest the film could see renewed attention in fall campaigns for Page’s performance and the film’s screenplay process, particularly in independent film circles that recognize devised or improvisational methods. While such recognition is never guaranteed, the film’s staying power over the summer has positioned it for continued conversation as the festival calendar ramps up.

For audiences seeking reflective storytelling about identity, family, and the delicate work of repair, “Close to You” offers a quietly radical proposition: a trans-led film that invites viewers into a familiar homecoming drama and lets its character define himself—without compromise, spectacle, or apology. As Page continues to advocate for trans artists to tell their own stories, the film’s wider reach this week underscores both a commercial and cultural appetite for that vision.