In a surprise upset, Puss in Boots takes the #1 spot for a second-straight weekend, and thanks to positive word-of-mouth and more families available after the snowstorm and Halloween events last weekend, it nearly duplicated its' opening weekend, slipping just 3% to $33.1 million, for a pretty strong $75.5 million tally in 10 days. That set the record for the biggest second weekend hold for a non-holiday flick (Twister originally held the record with its' second weekend 10 percent dip) and had a better second weekend than last years' MegaMind, though Puss still trails it as that film had $88 million in 10 days, but the gap between the two should start to wind down next weekend. For its' second weekend, the 3-D animated flick had a per-theater average of a good $8,841 from around 7,500 screens at 3,963 theaters with the extra dimension accounting for 48 percent of business. Puss should see another strong hold and cross the $100 million barrier next weekend, before beginning to ride off into the sunset when Happy Feet 2 releases right before Thanksgiving week.
Meanwhile, somehow in a distant second, Tower Heist was unable to get a good chunk of money as the ensemble action comedy earned just $24 million, for a per-theater average of a pretty good $7,135 from around 4,100 screens at 3,367 theaters. That was on the low end of both Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy's careers, as Stiller typically gets his films to open in the low to mid 30's millions. It could easily be explained that the reason why Tower Heist didn't reach analysts' expectations was because it had to compete against another comedy, which shortened its' audience potential. Even though critical reception was positive, with Adam Sandler's Jack & Jill releasing next weekend and audiences giving it a mild "B" CinemaScore grade, its' going to be a challenge for Tower Heist to reach its' rather expensive $85 million budget stateside, and distributor Universal Pictures hasn't certainly wrapped the year up on a high note.
Following in a distant third, A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas was also very soft on its' debut, with $13 million, for a per-theater average of a not bad $4,506 from around 4,500 screens at 2,875 theaters and 3-D accounted for a strong 95 percent of the gross. That was short of the comedy duos' last adventure, Escape from Guatanamo Bay, which earned $14.9 million in its' opening. Like Tower Heist, Harold & Kumar had its' business cut down from competing against another comedy, but by comparison, its' predecessor had to compete against Baby Mama three years ago. The good news is that it was produced for just $20 million by distributor Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Pictures, so it should become a success. It will be interesting to see if it can hold well enough in the weeks ahead to match Guatanamo Bay's $38 million domestic tally, which is certainly possible since Christmas films tend to hold well through the holidays.
Dropping a reasonable 54% in its' third weekend, Paranormal Activity 3 dropped to fourth place and grossed $8.3 million, for a strong $95.1 million tally in 10 days and will cross the $100 million barrier next weekend. Justin Timberlake's sci-fi thriller In Time followed in fifth and held well in its' second frame, dropping just 38% to $7.5 million, for a $24 million pick-up in 10 days and is probably heading for a finish right at its' $40 million budget, and has also earned over $60 million worldwide to date. Meanwhile, the remake of Footloose held strongly in its' fourth weekend, easing just 19% to sixth place and $4.5 million, for a $44.7 million gross in 24 days.
Real Steel recovered after its' cascade last frame, with a 28% drop to seventh place and $3.4 million, for a $78.8 million tally in one month of release. After its' mediocre debut last weekend, Johnny Depp's The Rum Diary didn't see much sustainment, slipping 43% to $2.9 million, sliding to eighth place and has picked up a forgettable $10.4 million in 10 days. It will probably end its' run just north of $15 million. With election day approaching, The Ides of March once again held well and eased just 31% to $1.9 million, for a $36.7 million tally in one month of release. Brad Pitt's Moneyball rounded out the Top 10 in its' seventh weekend, with a 25% drop to $1.8 million, for a $70.2 million pick-up in 44 days.
Overall box office was down a sharp 27% from last years' near record-breaking holiday season start, when DreamWorks Animation's MegaMind debuted to a strong $46 million in first place. The 3-D animated superhero flick would go on to gross nearly $150 million domestically and $320 million worldwide, both on the low end for their distributor's tracking record. Romantic comedy Due Date debuted in second place with a decent $32.7 million, and would see good legs throughout the holiday season, finishing just north of $100 million domestically and over $200 million worldwide. Tyler Perry's first drama, For Colored Girls, debuted in third place with a decent $19.5 million, but would crash to a finish short of $40 million. Red and Saw 3-D rounded out the Top 5, with 19% and 66% drops to $8.7 million and $7.7 million.
Here is the final Top 10:
# Movie Actual Number Projected Estimate My Prediction
1 Puss in Boots $33,054,644 $33,035,000 $24,500,000
2 Tower Heist $24,025,190 $25,100,000 $35,100,000
3 A Very Harold & Kumar $12,954,142 $13,065,000 $17,800,000
3-D Christmas
4 Paranormal Activity 3 $8,333,691 $8,525,000 $7,500,000
5 In Time $7,481,592 $7,700,000 $6,500,000
6 Footloose (2011) $4,470,135 $4,550,000 $3,800,000
7 Real Steel $3,436,086 $3,407,000 $2,900,000
8 The Rum Diary $2,920,481 $2,988,000 $2,500,000
9 The Ides of March $1,938,197 $2,000,000 $1,800,000
10 Moneyball $1,786,441 $1,900,000 ---
