Becoming the first movie of 2013 to repeat at #1 for three consecutive three-day weekends (NOTE: The Butler's 3rd weekend on top was including Monday of Labor Day Weekend only), Gravity continues to show some of the strongest word-of-mouth in years for a movie. The sci-fi spectacle eased just 31% to $30 million in its' third weekend, for a huge $169.6 million pick-up in just 17 days. That ranks 10th for the year domestically, already. Incredibly, Gravity continues to outperform expectations, and has given one of the biggest performances ever for a Fall release. Overseas has earned over $100 million overseas, and still has a lot more to go.Holding on to the runner-up position, Captain Phillips held decently, off 36% to $16.4 million, for a 10-day gross of a solid $52.4 million. That's not a terrific hold, and its' certainly not as strong as Argo's second weekend hold, but the gross is nearly $10 million ahead of that film through its' 10th day. The film seems likely to hit the century mark, though it may fall short like Flight did.
The Carrie remake opened in third place with OK results, $16.1 million, for a per-venue average of a modest $5,100 from 3,157 locations. That's not a great start, and given the fact there was very little competition, solid buzz, and a franchise recognition all boosting it, it actually is a bit disappointing. But the R rating contrasted greatly with the films' teenage focus, which limited its' potential audience. With a light $30 million budget, the film should wind up in the black by the time its' done, but this is not the strong result that six other horror films have seen this year. Reviews were mixed, while audiences gave it a "B-" CinemaScore. Sony, which boasts three of this week's Top 5 films, was forecasting a $18-$20 million debut.
In a distant fourth, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone's action thriller Escape Plan debuted exactly as expected, with $9.9 million and a minor $3,429 average from 2,883 locations. Yes, that's much more than what The Last Stand and Bullet to the Head opened to much earlier this year, but its' still not a potent start by all means. The budget was at least $50 million, and even with solid results overseas so far, its' still a misfire by all means. I guess we can all ravish in the fact that this did way better than those two movies I had listed. Distributor Lionsgate didn't release an official prediction, and audiences gave it a "B+" CinemaScore in the face of mixed reviews.Remaining the only family-friendly movie in theaters, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was down a light 30% to $9.7 million, for a 24-day tally of a solid $92.7 million, and will likely pass $100 million next weekend. Prisoners continued to level off at a very distant sixth, off 43% to $2.1 million, for a $57.3 million pick-up in one month of release. Expanding to 750 locations, James Gandolfini's final film Enough Said jumped back into the Top 10, landing in seventh place. The film lost just 8% of its' business from last weekend, earning $1.75 million and its' cumulative gross is at a respectable $10.7 million in one month.
Debuting in eighth place with one of the worst debuts for a wide release was Benedict Cumberbatch thriller The Fifth Estate. Based on the story of the WikiLeaks founder, the film opened to a terrible $1.7 million, with its' per-theater average only amounting to $946 (it opened in 1,769 locations). Disney (who released it through their Touchstone Pictures division) knew this movie was in trouble after mixed reactions at early screenings. And a really crowded slate for adults this Fall has proven to be the undoing of some films. As a result, Fifth Estate even fell short of Won't Back Down and Chasing Mavericks, two other live-action dramas that even were able to reach $1,000 per-venue. The budget was $28 million, and Disney didn't even release a projection, though many were hoping for a $5 million debut. The CinemaScore was a "B" amidst mixed reviews.Rounding out the Top 10 were Runner Runner and Insidious - Chapter Two. Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck's thriller was down 56% to $1.6 million, for a pathetic $17.6 million gross in 17 days. Insidious surprisingly held well in the face of Carrie, and was down 45% to $1.5 million, for a strong $80.9 million pick-up in 37 days, and may hit $85 million.
Overseas had Gravity on top once again with $33.5 million from 51 markets, for a $115 million overseas pick-up so far. Turbo expanded further and found $16 million from 20 markets, including a potent start in the U.K. The animated film has earned $145 million overseas thus far and $230 million worldwide. The Wolverine opened to a solid $13.6 million in China, and is on the verge of hitting $400 million worldwide, an all-time high for the X-Men franchise. Escape Plan debuted to $9.4 million from 21 markets, while Captain Phillips opened to $9.1 million from 11 markets....
