text:  On September 15 , 1999 , American Beauty opened to the public in limited release at three theaters in Los Angeles and three in New York . More theaters were added during the limited run , and on October 1 , the film officially entered wide release by screening in <unk> theaters across North America . The film grossed $ 8 @,@ 188 @,@ <unk> over the weekend , ranking third at the box office . <unk> <unk> by the market research firm <unk> gave American Beauty a " B + " grade on average . The theater count hit a high of 1 @,@ <unk> at the end of the month , before a gradual decline . Following American Beauty 's wins at the 57th Golden Globe Awards , DreamWorks re @-@ expanded the theater presence from a low of 7 in mid @-@ February , to a high of 1 @,@ 990 in March . The film ended its North American theatrical run on June 4 , 2000 , having grossed $ 130 @.@ 1 million . 
  