Horror films reign once again.
As the newest flick terrorizing the block, the big, bad Boogeyman, scared up the most box office booty this weekend, debuting in the top spot with $19.5 million. The scare-fest knocked last week’s champ, the frightening Hide and Seek, down to fourth place with $8.9 million.
But it wasn’t all about the things that go bump in the night–seems some moviegoers were also in the mood for a little romance. The engaging The Wedding Date, about a single gal (Debra Messing) who hires a male escort (Dermot Mulroney) to pose as her boyfriend at her sister’s wedding, opened in second place with $11 million.
“I’ve always believed you don’t have to have a big budget to have a successful movie if you have the benefit of a movie that hits a basic appeal button,” Wedding Date producer Paul Brooks told The Associated Press.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $88.8 million, down 14.98 percent from last weekend’s $104.4 million take and down 2.44 percent from last year’s draw of $91 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were: MGM’s PG-13 rated Barbershop 2: Back in Business, which opened at No. 1 with $24.2 million in 2,711 theaters, averaging $8,942 per theater; Buena Vista’s PG-rated Miracle debuted in second place with $19.3 million in 2,605 theaters, averaging $7,439 per theater; and Screen Gems PG-13 rated You Got Served, which dropped to third place in its second week with $7.5 million in 1,943 theaters, averaging $3,870 per theater.
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BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Boogeyman (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $19.5 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 3,052
Per-theater average: $6,389
No. 2: The Wedding Date (Universal Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $11 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 1,694
Per-theater average: $6,494
No. 3: Are We There Yet? (Sony Pictures, PG)
Gross: $10.4 million (-36%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 2,790 (+80)
Per-theater average: $3,728
Cume to date: $51 million
No. 4: Hide and Seek (20th Century Fox, R)
Gross: $8.9 million (-59%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 3,005 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $2,962
Cume to date: $51 million
No. 5: Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros., PG-13)
Gross: $8.7 million (-28%)
Weeks opened: 8
Theaters: 2,025 (+15)
Per-theater average: $4,331
Cume to date: $34.6 million
No. 6: The Aviator (Miramax, PG-13)
Gross: $5.4 million (-28%)
Weeks opened: 8
Theaters: 2,530 (+27)
Per-theater average: $2,152
Cume to date: $75.9 million
No. 7: Meet the Fockers (Universal, PG-13)
Gross: $5 million (-38%)
Weeks opened: 7
Theaters: 2,504 (-502)
Per-theater average: $1,997
Cume to date: $265.3 million
No. 8: Sideways (Fox Searchlight, R)
Gross: $4.8 million (-24%)
Weeks opened: 16
Theaters: 1,787 (+93)
Per-theater average: $2,686
Cume to date: $46.8 million
No. 9: Racing Stripes (Warner Bros., PG)
Gross: $4.4 million (-32%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 3,003 (-182)
Per-theater average: $1,474
Cume to date: $40.5 million
No. 10: Coach Carter (Paramount Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $4.4 million (-45%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,574 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $1,709
Cume to date: $59.5 million
