HOLLYWOOD - Even though the pickings were slim at the box office this weekend, scary movies continued to be all the rage, with Jeepers Creepers 2 leading the top 12 films to a record-breaking $101 million weekend haul, beating the 2001 Labor Day record of $94 million.With a four-day total of $18.5 million*, horror sequel Creepers 2--about a wily, winged monster who feeds on hapless teenagers--far outshined its predecessor, which took in $15.8 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend in 2001. And it also made it clear there could only be one horror flick at the top, as Creepers 2 knocked the two-week champion, Freddy vs. Jason, off its perch and sent it down several notches to seventh place. Slash that, Freddy and Jason!
Considering that Creepers 2 was the only new film in wide release this weekend, its victory isn't all that surprising. What is surprising is the rest of the top five, where some of this summer's favorite films are back in action.
Moving up a two spots after a month in theaters was Disney's family fare Freaky Friday, which came in at No. 2 with $11.7 million. Police drama S.W.A.T., also in its fourth week, took third place with $10.5 million. The far-from-cursed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl also moved up two places to steal fourth at $10.2 million, tying with the wild west saga Open Range, which roped in the same amount.
THE TOP TEN
MGM's R-rated Jeepers Creepers 2 debuted in the top spot with an ESTIMATED $18.5 in 3,124 theaters. Its $5,922 per theater average was the highest of any movie playing wide this week.
The sequel follows a group of varsity basketball players, cheerleaders and coaches who are returning home from a championship game and become stranded on a dark road. They eventually become victims of the Creeper's final voracious feeding frenzy.
Directed by Victor Salva, it stars Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck, Nicki Lynn Aycox, Garikayi Mutambirwa and Lena Caldwell.
Buena Vista's PG rated family remake Freaky Friday laughed its way up two spots to take No. 2 in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $11.7 million (-2%) in 3,067 theaters (+9 theaters; $3,815 per theater). Its cume is $90 million.
Directed by Mark Waters, it stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray and Mark Harmon.
Sony Pictures' PG-13 rated S.W.A.T. dropped just one place to No. 3 in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $10.5 million (-22%) in 2,781 theaters (-423 theaters; $3,776 per theater). Its cume is approximately $102.4 million.
Directed by Clark Johnson, it stars Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez.
While films generally wane after a few weeks on the charts, Buena Vista Pictures' PG-13 rated success story Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl gained momentum, shimmying up two spots to fourth place in its eighth week with an ESTIMATED $10.2 million (+9%) at 2,227 theaters (-177 theaters; $4,580 per theater). Its cume is approximately $274.4 million.
Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
In a tie with Pirates of the Caribbean, Buena Vista's R rated Western Open Range also came in with an ESTIMATED $10.2 million (-18%) in its third week in 2,244 theaters (+81 theaters; $4,545 per theater). Its cume is approximately $42.9 million.
Directed by and starring Kevin Costner, it also stars Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Diego Luna and Michael Gambon.
*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.