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Box Office Analysis, Oct. 31: ‘Saw II’ Hacks Up Competition
HOLLYWOOD - Boo! The gruesome sequel Saw II scared up plenty of box office booty this weekend, debuting in first with $30.5 million.
Saw II, in which serial killer Jigsaw continues to wreak havoc, also far surpassed the original, which opened the same weekend last year with $18.2 million.
"A lot of talk is devoted to the theatrical moviegoing experience being like a warmup for the DVD release. In this case, the DVD release of the first film was a warmup for the huge debut of the sequel," Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations, told The Associated Press Sunday. "Plus, it's a no-brainer. It's Halloween weekend."
Newcomers The Legend of Zorro--the sword-playin’ sequel starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones--followed in second place with $16.5 million, while the romantic comedy Prime, starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep, rounded out the top three with $6.4 million. The new Nicolas Cage dramedy The Weather Man, which opened on a smaller number of screens, debuted in sixth place with $4.2 million.
The Top 12 films grossed an estimated a four-day total of $86.3 million, down 6.47 percent from last year's draw of $92.3 million but up 22.92 percent from last weekend's $70.2 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Sony Pictures’ PG-13 rated The Grudge, which stayed at No. 1 in its second week with $21.8 million in 3,348 theaters, averaging $6,517 per theater; Universal Pictures’ PG-13 rated Ray, opened in second place with $20 million in 2,006 theaters, averaging $9,990 per theater; and Lions Gate’ R-rated Saw, which opened in third place with $18.2 million in 2,315 theaters, averaging $7,895 per theater. (Click here to read last year's box office report))
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Saw II (Lions Gate, R)
• Gross: $30.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,949
• Per-theater average: $10,342
No. 2: The Legend of Zorro (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $16.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,520
• Per-theater average: $4,688
No. 3: Prime (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $6.4 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,827
• Per-theater average: $3,503
No. 4: Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (DreamWorks, PG)
• Gross: $6.3 million (-31%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,491 (+484)
• Per-theater average: $2,529
• Cume to date: $17.5 million
No. 5: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (DreamWorks, PG)
• Gross: $4.4 million (-49%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,935 (-537)
• Per-theater average: $1,499
• Cume to date: $49.8 million
No. 6: The Weather Man (Paramount Pictures, R)
• Gross: $4.2 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,510
• Per-theater average: $2,798
No. 7: Doom (Universal, R)
• Gross: $4.1 million (-74%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,042 (-1)
• Per-theater average: $1,348
• Cume to date: $22.9 million
No. 8: North Country (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $3.6 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,555 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $2,532
• Cume to date: $12.1 million
No. 9: The Fog (Sony/Screen Gems, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.3 million (-50%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,587 (-385)
• Per-theater average: $1,276
• Cume to date: $25.5 million
No. 10: Flightplan (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $2.6 million (-45%)
• Weeks opened: 6
• Theaters: 1,766 (-747)
• Per-theater average: $1,472
• Cume to date: $81.1 million
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