HOLLYWOOD - It was a box office weekend From Hell for 20th Century Fox as well as for insiders who didn't think the Jack the Ripper drama would open in first place.Once again, there were dark clouds drifting across Hollywood's advance radar screen. Columbia's Riding in Cars with Boys, which looked like it would be parking in first place, wound up second with about $10.8 million, a car length behind Hell's $11.3 million.
DreamWorks' The Last Castle, which seemed likely to fly its flag higher on the chart, only managed to open in fifth place with $7.1 million.
Ticket sales for key films this weekend were up nearly 7 percent from last year but were basically flat with the previous weekend this year. Insiders attributed the lackluster showing to too much product opening in a marketplace that is not expanding this fall the way it did during the summer.
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20th Century Fox's R rated thriller From Hell kicked off to a bloody good ESTIMATED $11.33 million at 2,305 theaters ($4,913 per theater).
Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes, it stars Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.
Hell's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"Against this competition and [given] the marketplace, I feel very damn good about it. Riding in Cars and Last Castle had big movie stars and I'm very glad to be in that boat," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning. "Halloween's still to come and I think the picture's positioned for the holiday. We should be fine."