The versatile Robert Deniro scored another hit with this weekend’s horror release Hide and Seek, which scared up an estimated $22M over the weekend. Along with Meet The Fockers, this gives Deniro two films in the top 10. Hide and Seek also stars Famke Janssen and child actor Dakota Fanning. Robert De Niro and especially Dakota Fanning have earned some praise for their work in Hide and Seek, but critics have called the rest of the film derivative, illogical and somewhat silly. Its Tomatometer is a Rotten 18%.
The other new wide release this weekend, Alone in the Dark starring Christian Slater and Tara Reid, was definitely such with both audiences and critics. It grossed an estimated $2.5M and failed to place in the top 12. It is probably the worst reviewed film of the year so far with an almost completely Rotten 1% on the Tomatometer.
A couple Oscar nominated films opened wider this weekend and saw improvements in their standings. Million Dollar Baby, which received 7 Academy Awards nominations, expanded to 2010 theaters and grossed an estimated $11.8M this weekend, placing third. It’s total so far is $21.1M. The Aviator, which received 11 Academy Awards nominations, added 242 more sites and saw a 55% improvement from last weekend. It grossed an estimated $7.5M, placing 6th. It’s total so far is $68.2M. Sideways, with 5 Academy Awards nominations, added about 1000 sites and grossed $6.3M this weekend. It placed 7th. It’s total so far is $40M. Finding Neverland added nearly 400 sites after receiving 7 Academy Award nominations, but failed to crack the top 12 at the box office this weekend. It grossed an estimated $2.7M. Its total so far is $35.9M.
Overall, the rest of the films in the top 10 held up pretty well. In 2nd place is Are We There Yet, which grossed an estimated $17M this weekend – a drop-off of only 8%! It’s total so far is 39.1M after two weeks. Coach Carter placed 4th with $8M for a total of $53.6M after three weeks. Meet the Fockers placed 5th with $7.6M for a total of $258M after six weeks. In Good Company placed 8th with $6.2M for a total of $35.9M after five weeks. Racing Stripes came in 9th with $6M for a total of 34.6M after three weeks. In 10th is what Focus Features’s marketing department slyly calls "The #1 action movie in America!" – Assault on Precinct 13 – with $4M for a total of $14.7M after two weeks.
Hide and Seek’s surprisingly good debut and the expanded release of Oscar nominated films helped power this weekend to a 41% improvement over the same period a year ago. This weekend’s top 12 films grossed an estimated $103.6M, compared to $73.4M a year ago when You Got Served top the chart with a $16.1M.
