P.E.I. film Who's Yer Father? a surprise hit at box office

Who's Yer Father? was the No. 1 movie on P.E.I. when it premiered at the Charlottetown Cineplex the weekend of Nov. 3 — even beating Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour at the box office.

It has become the biggest Canadian release on P.E.I. since 2003, when cinemas started counting those numbers.

Since its opening weekend in Charlottetown, Moncton, N.B., Saint John and Halifax, it has been picked up in Summerside, P.E.I., Fredericton, Sydney, N.S., St. John's and Toronto, grossing more than $58,000 and counting.

Co-producer Jenna MacMillan of Charlottetown said it surpassed even her expectations.

"It's always really amazing to make a movie and present it to your friends and family and I felt like this was the pinnacle of that," MacMillan said in an interview with Mainstreet P.E.I. host Matt Rainnie.

"This is a huge deal for P.E.I., huge deal, but it's also a huge deal for Atlantic Canadian cinema. It's a huge deal for Canadian cinema. Our numbers are neck and neck, I think, with other big Canadian indie projects. So I think that's something that we can all be proud of."

Who's Yer Father? stars Chris Locke and Susan Kent, who team up to investigate a black market lobster smuggling ring. (Kevin A. Fraser)

The comedy, written by fellow Islander Jeremy Larter and described by MacMillan as a "love letter to the Maritimes," stars Chris Locke and Susan Kent, who team up to investigate a black market lobster smuggling ring.

Their chemistry resonates with the audience, MacMillan said, but East Coasters will likely see themselves, their friends and family reflected in a humorous way somewhere in the movie.

"It's really amazing to be in a room full of people laughing again and laughing together is something we really need right now with everything that's going on in the world. So I can guarantee you that you'll laugh at least once in this film."

The movie will be playing in theatres until at least Nov. 16. It was also sold to Paramount Plus in Canada, and should be available to stream by February.