HOLLYWOOD - 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