Hotel Transylvania was the winner for the season, garnering $131.3 million (estimated) in 33 days. It ended up much higher than expected (forecasts were expecting a final gross not even close to $100 million). The animated hit broke the September opening weekend record, and it does stand a chance at making it to $150 million (if its' not crushed after Halloween is over or by Wreck-It Ralph).
Taken 2 took second place with $118.2 million (estimated). It opened to a huge $49.5 million, but it has been falling a lot faster than its' predecessor (and will ultimately fall short of its' predecessors' $145 million gross). Still though, it has become a huge hit and there is apparently still interest in this action franchise.
Argo and Looper are in a close race for third, but the Ben Affleck thriller is expected to come out on top with $62.3 million VS. $61.9 million (estimated). Argo is already at three-and-a-half times its' opening weekend and strong word-of-mouth looks to carry it to $100 million or more. Meanwhile, Looper has done very well for its' edgy R rating and has been a bit more stable for a sci-fi movie. Rounding out the Top 5 is Pitch Perfect, which has earned a strong $51.8 million (estimated) since its' opening one month ago.
Paranormal Activity 4 ($43 million in 11 days), Resident Evil: Retribution ($42.1 million in six weeks), Finding Nemo's 3D re-release ($40.5 million in six weeks), Sinister ($39.8 million in 18 days), and End of Watch ($38.6 million in five weeks) round out the Top 10 for the season.
The Fall season's biggest flop was Chasing Mavericks, which only had earned $2.4 million in four days (though that may be a tad unfair since its' only been out for a few days). Fun Size ($4.3 million in four days), Won't Back Down ($5.3 million in one month), Silent Hill: Revelation ($8.5 million in four days) and The Words ($11.5 million in two months) round out the Top 5. (Atlas Shrugged: Part II and Last Ounce of Courage don't count because they were never featured in articles, and Cloud Atlas doesn't count because its' guaranteed to get out of that list, unlike the others).
In terms of studios, thanks to Hotel Transylvania and Looper, Sony/Columbia has taken the lead with $1.466 billion. Warner Bros. is in second with $1.385 billion, followed by Disney ($1.215 billion) and Universal ($1.182 billion). 20th Century Fox is the next closest at $878 million, followed by Lionsgate ($791 million) and lastly, Paramount ($636 million). With major movies coming during the holidays, there's a chance all seven studios wind up with over $1 billion by the end of the year.
