In the battle between bees and gangsters, the wiseguys have it. The Denzel Washington–Russell Crowe crime drama American Gangster opened in the top spot at the North American box office this weekend, grossing $46.3 million.
Jerry Seinfeld’s animated Bee Movie, however, debuted strongly in second with $39.1 million, and together, the two movies lifted the box office from an overall autumn slump.
“It took three of the biggest stars in the world to get the box office back on track, and they did it in high style with two totally different kinds of movies,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers told the Associated Press. “You had an R-rated movie and a PG-rated movie bringing in a really diverse audience.”
Also opening this week was the dramedy Martian Child, starring John Cusack, which came in seventh place with $3.6 million.
The Top 12 movies took in a total of $127.1 million, up 11.87 percent from last year’s total of $113.6 million and up 49.10 percent from last weekend’s total of $85.2 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year: 20th Century Fox’s Borat, which opened at No. 1 with $26.4 million in 837 theaters, averaging $31,607 per theater; Buena Vista’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, which opened in second place with $19.5 million in 3,458 theaters, averaging $5,640 per theater; and Paramount’s Flushed Away, which debuted in third place with $18.8 million in 3,707 theaters, averaging $5,075 per theater (Click here to read last year’s box office report).
BOX OFFICE TOP 10 ESTIMATES
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: American Gangster (Universal, R)
• Gross: $46.3 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,054
• Per-theater average: $15,175
No. 2: Bee Movie (Paramount, PG)
• Gross: $39.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,928
• Per-theater average: $9,954
No. 3: Saw IV (Lionsgate, R)
• Gross: $11 million (-65%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,183 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $3,459
• Cume to date: $51 million
No. 4: Dan in Real Life (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $8.1 million (-31%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 1,925 (+4)
• Per-theater average: $4,221
• Cume to date: $22.9 million
No. 5: 30 Days of Night (Sony, R)
• Gross: $4 million (-42%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,627 (-232)
• Per-theater average: $1,523
• Cume to date: $34.1 million
No. 6: The Game Plan (Buena Vista, PG)
• Gross: $3.8 million (-37%)
• Weeks opened: 6
• Theaters: 2,844 (-498)
• Per-theater average: $1,355
• Cume to date: $81.9 million
No. 7: Martian Child (New Line, PG)
• Gross: $3.6 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,020
• Per-theater average: $1,807
No. 8: Michael Clayton (Warner Bros, R)
• Gross: $2.9 million (-41%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 2,107 (-478)
• Per-theater average: $1,376
• Cume to date: $33.1 million
No. 9: Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? (Lionsgate, PG-13)
• Gross: $2.7 million (-52%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 1,403 (-494)
• Per-theater average: $1,946
• Cume to date: $51.1 million
No. 10: Gone Baby Gone (Miramax, R)
• Gross: $2.4 million (-37%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,617 (-96)
• Per-theater average: $1,484
• Cume to date: $14.9 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten (IFC First Take, NR)
• Gross: $20,500
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2
• Per-theater average: $10,250
Darfur Now (Warner Indie, PG)
• Gross: $17,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3
• Per-theater average: $5,667
