HOLLYWOOD - Shoddy scares beat out cheap laughs at the box office this weekend as the summer movie season--and box office dollars--began to wind down.Exorcist: The Beginning, the prequel to William Friedkin's 1973 hit horror The Exorcist, took the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend as expected with $18.1 million, while its only competitor in wide release, the buddy comedy Without a Paddle, followed in second place with a tepid $13.7 million.
Despites its not-so-thrilling opening weekend, Exorcist: The Beginning debuted more strongly than other films in the Exorcist franchise, including The Exorcist III, which opened to $9.3 million in 1990, and Exorcist II: The Heretic, which premiered with $6.7 million in 1977.
The original Exorcist, which was reissued in 2000 in a director's cut and opened with $8.1 million, has gone on to gross $204.3 million, including all re-issues.
In addition to The Exorcist, two previously limited releases films impacted the box office this weekend: Open Water, which registered at No. 5 with $11.7 million, and Garden State, which dug into ninth place with $3.2 million.
This week also saw the opening of Nicotina, Latino film company Arenas Entertainment’s first nationwide release, starring Y Tu Mama Tambien’s Diego Luna. The film, which debuted in 96 theaters and grossed $485,000, was Mexico's top-grossing film last year.
This week, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $102.8 million, down 16.37 percent from last weekend's $123 million take, but up 21.27 percent from last year's draw of $84.8 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were New Line's R-rated Freddy vs. Jason, which took the No. 1 spot in its second week with $13.1 million in 3,014 theaters, averaging $4,364 per theater; Sony's PG-13 S.W.A.T., which took second in its third week with $10.5 million in 3,204 theaters, averaging $3,303 per theater; and Buena Vista's R-rated Open Range, which came in third in its second week with $9.4 million in 2,163 theaters, averaging $4,383 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES: (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Exorcist: The Beginning (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $18.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,803
• Per-theater average: $6,484
No. 2: Without a Paddle (Paramount, PG-13)
• Gross: $13.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,730
• Per-theater average: $5,018
No. 3: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (Buena Vista, G)
• Gross: $13.1 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,490 (+18)
• Per-theater average: $3,782
• Cume to date: $61.3 million
No. 4: Alien vs. Predator (20th Century Fox, R)
• Gross: $12.5 million (-67%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,401 (+6)
• Per-theater average: $3,675
• Cume to date: $63 million
No. 5: Open Water (Lions Gate, R)
• Gross: $11.7 million (Expanded)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,709 (+2,654)
• Per-theater average: $4,337
• Cume to date: $14.8 million
No. 6: Collateral (DreamWorks, R)
• Gross: $10.5 million (-35%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,029 (-176)
• Per-theater average: $3,466
• Cume to date: $70.1 million
No. 7: The Bourne Supremacy (Universal Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $6.6 million (-23%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 2,532(-444)
• Per-theater average: $2,607
• Cume to date: $150.6 million
No. 8: The Manchurian Candidate (Paramount, R)
• Gross: $4.2 million (-30%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 1,920 (-692)
• Per-theater average: $2,188
• Cume to date: $54.7 million
No. 9: The Village (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $ 3.6 million (-49%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,249 (-893)
• Per-theater average: $1,635
• Cume to date: $107 million
No. 10: Garden State (Fox Searchlight, R)
• Gross: $3.2 million (+131%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 652 (+477)
• Per-theater average: $4,908
• Cume to date: $6.6 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Nicotina (Arenas Entertainment, R)
• Gross: $485,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 96
• Per-theater average: $5,052
Bright Young Things (ThinkFilm, NR)
• Gross: $53,500
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3
• Per-theater average: $17,833
Rosenstrasse (Samual Goldwyn, PG-13)
• Gross: $50,300
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 10
• Per-theater average: $5,052
Mean Creek (Paramount Classics, R)
• Gross: $30,236
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 4
• Per-theater average: $7,559