HOLLYWOOD - Red Dragon captured first place with a fiery $37.5 million, the biggest opening ever in the month of October.Sweet Home Alabama was a charming second with $21.6 million.
The Tuxedo was a well pressed third with $10.1 million.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was fourth with $8.5 million, down only 10 percent. With a cume of $148 million now, it's heading for an astounding $175 million.
Barbershop was still something to talk about in fifth place with $6.8 million.
Driven by Dragon, key films were up 23.5 percent over last year -- $107.3 million versus $86.8 million. It was the first time an October weekend has grossed over $100 million.
THE TOP TEN
Universal and Dino De Laurentiis's R rated thriller Red Dragon, presented in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, opened in first place to a record setting ESTIMATED $37.48 million at 3,357 theaters ($11,165 per theater).
Dragon's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by Brett Ratner, it stars Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
"This is the biggest October opening ever. Until now the record was (Universal's) Meet the Parents at $28.6 million (the weekend of Oct. 6-8, 2000)," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning.
"It's the biggest R rated fall opening ever. Before this, it was (Warner Bros.') Interview With the Vampire (the weekend of Nov. 11-13, 1994 with) $36.4 million. To have a $37.5 million opening at this time of year is very extraordinary. For the business, itself, to break over $100 million at the box office this weekend is extraordinary. And you have to credit this film for that. It's never been done. There's never been a $100 million weekend in October."
Looking at the film's opening, Rocco noted, "Our expectations were fulfilled. We are very excited about the opening. I think the word of mouth is extraordinary. The CinemaScores were very, very strong. The exit polls are very strong. I think word of mouth is going to be exceptional on the film and I think the picture's going to have legs. When $37 million worth of audience starts to talk about how great this movie is, there's no doubt that it will be the choice for the fall."
Rocco applauded Ratner "for creating this masterpiece. And I think that Dino and Martha DeLaurentiis have to be acknowledged for having the ability to continue the Hannibal Lecter story -- developing it and producing a film that moviegoers want to see about Hannibal Lecter. It goes without saying that Anthony Hopkins is such an extraordinary talent and I give him (great) credit for this classic and chilling character that he (brought to life) that's captured the moviegoing audience's attention for more than a decade."
Who was on hand opening weekend? "Believe it or not, on Saturday night it was evenly divided (in terms of) the age of 30 -- 51 percent under 30 and 49 percent over 30. It was exactly 50-50 on males-females."
Dragon should benefit in terms of word of mouth from the fact that while it is scary, it's not gruesome or gory. Hannibal was difficult for some moviegoers to look at, but Dragon is a more accessible movie, especially to adults and to women in general. Hannibal kicked off via MGM to $58 million the weekend of Feb. 9-11, 2001 and went on to gross approximately $165 million in domestic theaters.
Asked about those who were speculating that Dragon would open in line with Hannibal, Rocco emphasized that Dragon is "not a sequel. It's not a sequel to Hannibal. It's not a sequel to Silence of the Lambs. So, therefore, the expectations shouldn't have been that it would play like a sequel."