Paranormal Activity 3 grossed $54 million over the weekend, outgrossing the previous two PA movies and breaking the previous all-time record for September-October openings held by Jackass 3D. Meanwhile, Three Musketeers landed at number four behind Footloose and Real Steel with just $8.8 million. But I guess that’s what happens when you cancel all your press screenings and try to open a movie with no big stars in it in secret (Milla Jovovich thought the marketing campaign sucked, and I agree with her). Why, it’s almost as if Orlando Bloom isn’t an automatic, walk-off, box office grand slam.
| This Week |
Last Week | Title |
Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count / Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
| 1 | N | Paranormal Activity 3 | Par. | $54,020,000 | – | 3,321 | – | $16,266 | $54,020,000 | $5 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Real Steel | BV | $11,319,000 | -30.5% | 3,412 | -28 | $3,317 | $67,226,640 | – | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Footloose (2011) | Par. | $10,850,000 | -30.3% | 3,555 | +6 | $3,052 | $30,863,031 | $24 | 2 |
| 4 | N | The Three Musketeers (2011) | Sum. | $8,800,000 | – | 3,017 | – | $2,917 | $8,800,000 | – | 1 |
| 5 | 4 | The Ides of March | Sony | $4,900,000 | -31.1% | 2,042 | -157 | $2,400 | $29,159,326 | – | 3 |
| 6 | 5 | Dolphin Tale | WB | $4,200,000 | -32.6% | 2,858 | -428 | $1,470 | $64,390,675 | $37 | 5 |
| 7 | 6 | Moneyball | Sony | $4,050,000 | -25.8% | 2,353 | -487 | $1,721 | $63,708,894 | $50 | 5 |
| 8 | N | Johnny English Reborn | Uni. | $3,800,000 | – | 1,552 | – | $2,448 | $3,800,000 | $45 | 1 |
| 9 | 3 | The Thing (2011) | Uni. | $3,115,000 | -63.3% | 2,995 | -1 | $1,040 | $14,100,000 | – | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | 50/50 | Sum. | $2,800,000 | -34.3% | 1,932 | -459 | $1,449 | $28,800,000 | $8 | 4 |
[via BoxOfficeMojo]
It has to be a bummer for cinematographers that a 3D movie about flying pirate ships attached to zeppelins that cannon fight made less than a sixth of a film made out of surveillance footage of a bathroom where the big scare is a curtain that moves on its own. (*sigh*) It’s like no one respects a spectacle anymore. (*rides off on unicycle juggling monkeys holding sparklers*)
Other Notes:
- That Christian firefighter movie (Courageous) has now earned $25 million on a $2 million budget. It just goes to show, Jesus beats 3D every time.
- Real Steel is up to a “respectable” $67 million, but the budget was reportedly $110 million. Oh, but it made another $86.1 million worldwide. Stupid foreigners.
- Speaking of foreigners, I can’t believe Universal spent $45 million making Johnny English Reborn. Luckily, it’s made 96% of its total $108 million gross (!!!) outside of the US. It seems Rowan Atkinson is the soccer of movie stars. (I saw it. It’s great, but only if you really, really like Rowan Atkinson.)