By Scott Bowles, USA TODAYFright fans had an unusually wide selection this weekend, and that was scary news for any film that wasn't out to spook audiences.
BY THE NUMBERS: Top ten movies
Disturbia, the Shia LaBeouf thriller, took the No. 1 spot for the second straight weekend by earning $13.5 million, according to studio estimates from box-office trackers Nielsen EDI. In two weeks, the $20 million film has taken in $40.7 million.
The film dropped only 39% from its debut and beat out two other scary films that opened this weekend, an atypical glut for an industry that doesn't like to compete for the same audiences.
Fracture, which featured Anthony Hopkins in a Hannibal Lecter-esque role, earned $11.2 million for second place, which met most analysts' projections.
Fracture, which featured Anthony Hopkins in a Hannibal Lecter-esque role, earned $11.2 million for second place, which met most analysts' projections.
And Vacancy, the Luke Wilson spook film that's an homage to Psycho, was fourth with $7.6 million, about $3 million less than projected.
"There were just a lot of movies out there that were similar," says Rory Bruer, distribution chief for Sony Pictures, which released Vacancy. "It's hard to set yourself apart when the market is that crowded."
Disturbia, analysts and executives say, had three things working in its favor:
•Shia LaBeouf The former Disney Channel star has been on a roll and is a draw for teenage girls, who made up the majority of the film's audience.
•A PG-13 rating.Disturbia was the only horror film this weekend that was teen-friendly; the other two earned R ratings. "Horror is still a staple genre for young people," says Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo.
•Romance. The movie is half horror, half teen love story. "It was an unusual blend, but that really helped us get in date crowds," says Marvin Levy of DreamWorks, which released Disturbia with Paramount Pictures.
Blades of Glory, the Will Ferrell skating comedy, continued to glide along; it took in $7.8 million for third place. Its total take in four weeks has topped $101 million. The animated Meet the Robinsons was fifth with $7.1 million.
Among other newcomers, the police spoof Hot Fuzz earned $5.8 million on only 825 screens, good for sixth place and a healthy $7,075 per-screen average, the highest for any movie in the top 10 this weekend.
In the Land of Women, however, turned out to be desolate. The romantic comedy with Adam Brody earned a mere $4.9 million for eighth place.
Ticket sales fell 24% from last week and 26% from the same weekend last year. Final figures are due Monday.
1 comment:
“’There were just a lot of movies out there that were similar,’ says Rory Bruer, distribution chief for Sony Pictures, which released Vacancy. ’It's hard to set yourself apart when the market is that crowded.’”
God, I would hate to have the job of making public excuses for a bad movie. Not that Vacancy is necessarily bad, but you know at some point you’d have to put on the happy face and look butt-stupid in front of all the people you weren’t fooling.
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