Couples ruled the box office as Universal’s
Couples Retreat
took top honors at the box office this weekend. But the real story was the
low-budget horror entry from Paramount,
Paranormal
Activity, which crashed the top five from only 159 theaters.
Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell and the rest of the ensemble cast of
Couples Retreat
landed, as expected, in the number one spot at the North American box office
this weekend. The tale of four couples going through intense comical therapy
grossed an estimated $35.3M this weekend from 3,000 theaters for a per screen
average of $11,780. If that number holds, it would be the sixth highest opening
weekend for the month of October, just ahead of a quadrilogy of Saw
films. Poor reviews didn’t hurt the film as its well-known cast certainly
provided enough star power to make it the top choice for audiences. That and
being the only wide release this weekend as other studios opted to sit this
weekend out.[rtimage]MapID=10010502&MapTypeID=2&photo=3&legacy=1[/rtimage]Falling
a very reasonable 39% to second were the hunters of the living dead in
Zombieland. The
Sony release brought in another $15M this weekend, according to estimates,
bringing its total to $47.8M. Look for a final total in the $90-100M range.
Dropping a very slim 24% in its fourth lap was the animated 3D adventure
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The flying food flick ate up an
estimated $12M this weekend bringing its cume to $96.2M. $150M is certainly
within its reach[rtimage]MapID=1207888&MapTypeID=2&photo=80&legacy=1[/rtimage]In
fourth place this weekend, families continued to enjoy
Toy Story & Toy Story 2 (3D) as the double feature brought in $7.7M,
according to estimates, a fall of only 39% from last weekend. Impressive
considering the number of years the two titles have been available on DVD. But
the lure of 3D and the chance to see a preview for Toy Story 3 has opened
the film to a whole new generation of moviegoers. Its cume from the rerelease
stands at $22.7M.
Storming into the top five was the horror film
Paranormal
Activity which grossed an estimated $7M from only 159 for a per screen
average of an astounding $44,440. The film, which cost a reported $11,000 to
produce, has been gaining momentum with TV ads showing the audience reaction to
what they’re seeing on screen, making people believe they’re in for a true
scare. Do we have another Blair Witch Project on our hands? Almost exactly 10
years ago that low-budget horror film exploded onto screens grossing $1.5 from
only 27 theaters in its opening weekend, giving it a per screen average of
$56,002. Two weeks later it expanded nationwide and made $29.2M for a per screen
average of $26,528 and become a cultural phenomenon. Already in its third
weekend, Paranormal Activity is rolling out slower, but word-of-mouth is making
this a must-see event.
In sixth place was the Bruce Willis sci-fi pic
Surrogates
which fell 43% in its third weekend to and estimated $4.1M. The film has grossed
a disappointing $32.5M and seems headed for the DVD rack soon. Falling into
seventh place in its second weekend was the Ricky Gervais dramedy
The Invention of
Lying which took in an estimated $3.4M, a drop of 52% from last weekend.
Cume now stands at $12.7M. Good reviews haven’t been helping the British
comedian cross over into North American success. Look for the film to end up
with a final gross in the $20-25M range.[rtimage]MapID=1207968&MapTypeID=2&photo=6&legacy=1[/rtimage]Eighth
place belonged to Drew Barrymore and the women of
Whip It which fell
40% in its second weekend to an estimated $2.8M. Its cume stands at only $8.7M
and won’t make too much more before hitting the DVD shelves. In ninth place was
was the latest from documentarian Michael Moore,
Capitalism: A
Love Story, which made an estimated $2.7M, a 39% decline from last
weekend. The total for the film now stands at $9.1M. Rounding out the top 10 was
Fame which fell 45% in its third outing to an estimated $2.5M, bringing its cume
to $20M.[rtimage]MapID=1200869&MapTypeID=2&photo=14&legacy=1[/rtimage]The top
ten films grossed $92.6M which was up 14% from last year when
Beverly Hills
Chihuahua remained in the top spot in its second weekend with $17.5M;
and up 15% from 2007 when
Tyler
Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? debuted at number one with $21.3M.
Author: Sujit Chawla, Box Office Guru!
