Only one new film enters the top 10 this week, and it's not exactly your typical Hollywood blockbuster. Instead it's a concert film that has been benefitted from it's stars untimely death, but also by a phenomenal word of mouth. With so few new releases, the old standbys had to bear the burden. Some recent releases held up remarkably well, and one particular old franchise really began to show it's age.
1. Michael Jackson's This Is It- $21.3M/$32.5M
Michael Jackson's much anticipated swan song dominated the first week at the box office, getting a bit of a head start thank to it's early Tuesday opening. In that time, the concert film has been a mixed bag. Domestically, while clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the returning competition, studio analysis predicted a much better opening. Considering this is only a 2-week long run, I guess they figured everyone would race for the theater in the first week. Maybe they forgot about a little thing called Halloween, which no doubt cut into everyone's profits(except for the two horror flicks). Globally, This Is It tap danced away with approximately $70M. Not bad, again, and it's expected that the global take for this film will be much greater as MJ was such an international figure. What remains to be seen is whether or not this first week was merely a blip, and people will in fact turn up in droves.
2. Paranormal Activity- $16.5M/$84.8M
Continuing to add more sites to it's tally but dropping in terms of overall dollar amounts, Paranormal Activity has driven a sharp stake into the heart of former horror champion, Saw. While it's still a ways off from surpassing The Blair Witch Project, it's proven to be a constant reliable success each and every week.
3. Law Abiding Citizen- $7.3M/$51.4M
Dropping only an estimated 40%, the Gerard Butler/Jamie Foxx pairing has held remarkably well over the last few weeks.
4. Couples Retreat- $6.1M/$86.7M
Despite middling reviews, Vince Vaughn's vacation comedy is poised to break the $100M mark. Maybe it's the lack of new movies but I'm surprised it's hung on this long.
5. Saw VI- $5.56M/$22.8M
Poised to be the lowest grossing Saw film yet. I think Saw would benefit from a bit of a breather, maybe take a year off and come back in 2011 fresh and ready to dominate again. Coming out every year at the same time gives people the impression that it's no longer a special occasion when a new Saw film releases.
6. Where the Wild Things Are- $5.08M/$61.8M
Am I the only one disturbed that this is only doing about $3M better than Bridge to Terabithia did last year? I calls it like I sees 'em, and WTWTA is looking like a bit of a flop. Parents think it's too dark for their kids(they're wrong), while simultaneously thinking it's too kiddie for themselves to enjoy(wrong again).
7. The Stepfather- $3.4M/$24.7M
Amber Heard and her bathing suit are still loungin' by the pool for another week! Yay!
8. Astro Boy- $3.04M/$10.9M
This just goes to show that San Diego Comic-Con hype does NOT equal instant success. Astro Boy had a ton of heat after this year's Con, but that didn't translate when it comes to the box office. I say this as a reminder to all those people who think Kick-Ass is going to be the biggest film evah when it finally drops. Or Ninja Assassin, or any of the other film's that tend to only appeal to a certain segment. Look at Astro Boy...and weep.
9. Amelia- $3M/$8.31M
Hey, it had the smallest drop among returning movies. Of course that ain't sayin' much when your debut week equaled what Paranormal Activity made in about two hours.
10. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant- $2.81M/$10.5M
Boondock Saints 2 debuted this weekend and brought in an estimated $462,000 at only 68 sites. That's roughly $6,800 per site, good enough for the film to expand to more theaters on November 13th. Here's hoping it makes it to DC/VA.
