Overall business was ahead of last year by 10% when Bad Grandpa debuted on top.
Debuting at #1, as anticipated, was board game adaptation Ouija, which managed to open decently, though not spectacularly. The horror flick was able to pull in $20 million, for a per-theater average of a decent $7,000. While nowhere near that of Annabelle's $37 million debut from earlier this month, the debut still was better than the $8-$11 million "flop" range for horror flicks. That being said, considering the strong marketing and buzz, one has to wonder why it didn't do higher. I guess the strong amount of horror options this month may have not made some horror fans come out to shell extra cash. Reviews were terrible, while the CinemaScore was a "C". This probably won't end up playing well (like other horror flicks before it), but with just a $5 million budget, this will still finish in solid shape for Universal by the time its done.
Opening in second place, meanwhile, was the Keanu Reeves action flick John Wick. The other new nationwide release also managed to do decent business, pulling in $14.2 million, for a mild $5,465 per-venue average. Wick opened a little higher than expected, and that is partially due to strong critical reception (84% on Rotten Tomatoes). For Reeves, this is a relief for him since he is coming off a couple of flops with The Warrior's Way and 47 Ronin. With decent word-of-mouth, this should play fairly well over the next few weeks, though competition from Nightcrawler probably will not make it become a sleeper hit. Distributor Lionsgate produced it for only $20 million, so it should still be in the black by the time its done.
Last week's topper, Fury, didn't manage to hold strong, off 45% to $13 million. The Brad Pitt war flick has earned a decent $46.1 million in 10 days and seems on track for a finish around $70 million. That's not a fantastic result, but maybe minor awards season buzz may help legs to kick in later on.
In contrast, Gone Girl continued to hold on strong, down 37% in its fourth weekend to $11.1 million. In 24 days, the David Fincher film has earned a strong $124.1 million and could remain in this list all the way until Thanksgiving. It will pass the final gross of star Ben Affleck's Oscar winner Argo in the next week or so.
The Book of Life slid a couple spots, and held OK, but not terrific for a family movie. The animated Day of the Dead flick was off 42% to $9,8 million, for an OK $29.9 million pick-up in 10 days, and will have one more weekend before Big Hero 6 arrives on the scene. For a movie that had just a $50 million budget, this is solid, but nothing special for an animated movie.
Expanding to wide release after a decent start in limited release, St. Vincent earned a solid $8.1 million. Playing in 2,282 locations, it averaged a mild $3,531. That's more than expected, and solid for a lightly-marketed effort. The well-reviewed pic benefited from starpower (Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy) and a lack of options for older audiences. St. Vincent should play well in the coming weeks due to the lack of options for its core audience.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day continued to hold well, off 39% in its third weekend to $7 million. The Disney flick has earned $45.5 million in 17 days and will also benefit from one more weekend of no competition. The Best of Me was down 53% in its second weekend to $4.7 million. The Nicholas Sparks adaptation has earned a mediocre $17.7 million in 10 days and will likely finish around $25 million.
Finishing in a tie for ninth place are third-week holdovers The Judge and Dracula Untold. The Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall courtroom flick hasn't quite found its footing, as it fell 45% to $4.34 million. It has earned $34.4 million in 17 days and will probably just barely cross $40 million. Dracula was off a large 57% to $4.3 million, for an OK $48.3 million in the same amount of time. The vampire spectacle doesn't have much further to go, though Halloween should give it a boost.
Next weekend brings Nightcrawler and Before I Go To Sleep just in time for Halloween, while Saw gets a 10th-anniversary re-release to theaters. Will it be another up weekend? Or will the curtain come down on a strong October?
