Box office will, once again be up from last year for the fifth weekend in a row...
Paranormal Activity 4 opened in first place, as expected, but it didn't do as much as what analysts were hoping for. The horror fourquel opened to an estimated $15 million on Friday (including $4.5 million on Thursday). That was about two-thirds of what the third movie earned on this same Friday last year ($26 million), on its' way to a $52 million weekend. With a stale "C" CinemaScore, the fourth installment will likely come in with around $32 million this weekend. Comparing that to the previous installments, its' a bit disappointing, but this is easy money for distributor Paramount, who produced it for just a measly $5 million.
Alex Cross came in fourth place on Friday, with a decent estimated $4 million. The Tyler Perry comic book reimagining/action thriller got terrible reviews from critics, but it was a hit with audiences, garnering an "A" CinemaScore. With positive word-of-mouth seeming to be working, expect around $13 million for the weekend.
The major story, however, was the amazing hold Argo saw this weekend. The critically-adored Ben Affleck thriller was down a measly 14% from last Friday to an estimated $5.1 million, and coming in the second slot once again. Word-of-mouth does seem to fueling this Oscar contender, and it should clock in with $17.5 million this weekend, down just 13% from last weekend.
After topping the last two weekends, Taken 2 came in third place and is leveling off somewhat, down 40% from last weekend to an estimated $4.25 million. The action sequel should compete with Alex Cross for fourth place with around $13 million for the weekend. Rounding out the Top 5 on Friday with another amazing hold was Hotel Transylvaina, which benefited from no new competition. The animated monster house eased just 12% from last Friday to an estimated $3.6 million. The animated hit is expected to hit $15 million for the weekend, enough for it to jump into the third spot.
Weekend estimates to be posted tomorrow...
