Scorsese pic nabs top spot over ‘Cops,’ ‘Crazies’
Paramount continued its successful scare tactic this weekend at the domestic B.O. with Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” holding on to the top spot in its soph sesh for an estimated gross of $22.2 million at 3,003 engagements.
Frame’s wide releases, Warner Bros.’ buddy comedy “Cop Out,” starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, as well as Overture’s horror-thriller pic “The Crazies,” turned in solid estimates with $18.6 million and $16.5 million, respectively.
Both films exceeded studio expectations in what was predicted to be a soft weekend at the box office, playing well in urban areas despite harsh weather conditions on the East Coast.
At the specialty B.O., Sony Pictures Classics debuted its Oscar-nominated foreign-lingo pic “A Prophet” at 9 locations for an estimated $170,354. Distrib will continue its steady roll out of the film, hoping to benefit from the Oscar telecast set to air a week from today.
“A Prophet” scored an impressive per-screen average of $18,928, matched only by Summit’s Roman Polanski pic “The Ghost Writer,” which earned $20,233 per screen after expanding to 43 locations in its soph sesh. Pic grossed an estimated $870,000 for a cume of $1.1 million.
Another Oscar hopeful and box office phenom, 20th Century Fox’s “Avatar,” continued to raise the benchmark with a cume of $706.9 million after earning $14 million — down just 14% in its eleventh frame. “Avatar” matched its Stateside dominance with high-flying potency overseas, grossing an estimated $36.1 million at 6,535 screens in 70 markets. Pic’s international cume stands at $1.8 billion for a worldwide total of $2.55 billion.
The weekend saw a fiercely competitive frame with the top three grossers (all R-rated) targeted at similar demos.
“Cop Out,” directed by fanboy auteur Kevin Smith, played best among male auds. Those under 25 accounted for more than 60% of the film’s overall attendance, while
“The Crazies” saw a similar boost of 65% from the same age group with a more even split between men and women.
“The Crazies,” about small-town residents driven insane by a toxic water supply, is the remake of a 1973 George Romero-pic of the same name. Pic is the latest installment in a host of Romero re-boots, including the helmer’s original “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) and “Dawn of the Dead” (1978). The later remake, released in 2004, opened to $26.7 million at 2,745.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Shutter Island,” $22.2 million.
2. “Cop Out,” $18.6 million.
3. “The Crazies,” $16.5 million.
4. “Avatar,” $14 million.
5. “Percy Jackson&the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” $9.8 million.
6. “Valentine’s Day,” $9.5 million.
7. “Dear John,” $5 million.
8. “The Wolfman,” $4.1 million.
9. “The Tooth Fairy,” $3.5 million.
10. “Crazy Heart,” $2.5 million.
[Credit: Variety / Hollywood.com]