Weekend Wrap-Up
Paranormal Active, Saw Lacks Teeth
By Kim Hollis and David Mumpower
October 25, 2009
Finishing just outside the top ten are a couple of films that had been perceived as awards season contenders. Amelia, the Mira Nair film about legendary pilot Amelia Earhart, looks to be a disaster. Despite starring Hilary Swank in what appears to be another great opportunity for her to win an Oscar, Amelia's reviews are nothing short of hostile. Only 17% fresh at RottenTomatoes and only 12% with top critics, the film offered only moderate appeal to consumers. Its $4 million opening weekend reflects a per-location average of $4,921, probably not good enough to justify much expansion beyond its current 818 locations. This one feels like a miss all the way around. Meanwhile, the Coen Brothers are back with A Serious Man, a Focus Features release that is slowly creeping its way up the charts. After finishing in 15th place last weekend with $842,000, it bumps up 34% to $1.1 million this frame. The primary difference between the two films is that critics can't get enough of A Serious Man. It is currently 84% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes and may stick around for a portion of awards season if it's memorable enough.
Box office for the top 12 films this weekend is estimated at $109.9 million, a solid total given the relative failure of Saw VI. We are down just under $10 million from 2008's $120.0 million, however, a decline of 8.4%. Next weekend sees the release of Michael Jackson's This Is It, which is a title you shouldn't sleep on. You may be prone to brush it off as just a concert film, but this result should prove to be much different from the Jonas Brothers' recent disappointment. A few grown-ups actually care about the King of Pop. Expect strong box office next weekend and an interminable amount of Thriller dances at any Halloween parties you attend this week.
| 1 |
Paranormal Activity |
Paramount Pictures |
$22,000,000 |
$21,104,070 |
+ 7.6% |
$61,580,588 |
| 2 |
Saw VI |
Lionsgate |
$14,800,000 |
$14,118,444 |
New |
$14,118,444 |
| 3 |
Where the Wild Things Are |
Warner Bros. |
$14,420,000 |
$14,019,406 |
- 57.1% |
$53,558,981 |
| 4 |
Law Abiding Citizen |
Overture Films |
$12,713,000 |
$12,403,888 |
- 41.0% |
$40,008,703 |
| 5 |
Couples Retreat |
Universal |
$11,097,140 |
$10,620,685 |
- 38.4% |
$77,736,885 |
| 6 |
Astro Boy |
Summit Entertainment |
$7,017,000 |
$6,702,923 |
New |
$6,702,923 |
| 7 |
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant |
Universal Pictures |
$6,347,970 |
$6,293,205 |
New |
$6,293,205 |
| 8 |
The Stepfather |
Screen Gems |
$6,500,000 |
$6,230,969 |
- 46.2% |
$20,082,652 |
| 9 |
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs |
Sony/Columbia |
$5,600,000 |
$5,250,541 |
- 34.5% |
$114,854,877 |
| 10 |
Zombieland |
Sony (Columbia) |
$4,300,000 |
$4,205,812 |
- 44.8% |
$67,213,384 |
| 11 |
Amelia |
Fox Searchlight |
$4,025,000 |
$3,904,047 |
New |
$3,904,047 |
| 12 |
A Serious Man |
Focus Features |
$1,128,636 |
$1,093,217 |
+ 29.8% |
$3,196,496 |
| |
Also Opening/Notables |
| |
Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas 3d |
WALT DISNEY |
$131,000 |
$143,289 |
New |
$143,289 |
| |
Antichrist |
IFC Films |
N/A |
$71,397 |
New |
$71,397 |
| |
Motherhood |
Freestyle Releasing |
$57,744 |
$50,081 |
New |
$50,081 |
| |
Ong Bak 2: the Beginning |
Magnolia |
N/A |
$26,564 |
New |
$26,564 |
| |
(untitled) |
Samuel Goldwyn |
$19,145 |
$18,002 |
New |
$18,002 |
| |
Toy Story/toy Story 2 30d |
WALT DISNEY |
N/A |
$1,009,900 |
New |
$30,144,903 |
|
Click here for all weekend data
|
|
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
|
Continued:
1
2
3
4
|
|
|
|
Print this column
