Texas Chainsaw 3D was the surprise winner this weekend when it chopped up some very strong competitors including Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and the holiday hit The Hobbit. This left many in Hollywood scratching their heads and even the execs at Lionsgate who released the film did not expected it to win the weekend. So why the unexpected win?
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Evidently, the Texas Chainsaw brand carries much weight with audiences who either know of the first installment directed by Tobe Hooper that was released in 1974 (a low-budget classic with a reported negative cost of just $140,000 that earned nearly $26.6 million at the box office!) or have seen one of the many remakes of the film. The very notion of a leather-faced, chainsaw-wielding maniac going around slaughtering people seems to resonate with audiences on a very primal level and this weekend that was proven once again.
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The allure of 3D has been on the wane for traditionally themed films, but for the horror genre, it is still a novelty that is a big draw for the obvious reason that it amps up the “scare” factor even higher. Audience members (particularly the younger audience members) seemingly can’t get enough. Also, this was the only wide release newcomer in the bunch this weekend and that gave it a “leg” up so to speak on the competition.
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Here is a look back at the Texas Chainsaw legacy on film (in reverse chronology):
Title: Texas Chainsaw 3D
3-Day Opening: $21,744,470
Domestic Gross: $21,744,470
Release Date: Fri, 1/4/13
Rating: R
Title: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
3-Day Opening: $18,508,228
Domestic Gross: $39,517,763
Release Date: Fri, 10/6/06
Rating: R
Title: Texas Chainsaw Massacre
3-Day Opening: $28,094,014
Domestic Gross: $80,571,655
Release Date: Fri, 10/17/03
Rating: R
Title: Texas Chainsaw: The Next Generation
3-Day Opening: $53,111
Domestic Gross: $140,329
Release Date: Fri, 8/29/97
Rating: R
Title: Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
3-Day Opening: N/A
Domestic Gross: $5,765,562
Release Date: Fri, 8/24/90
Rating: R
Title: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
3-Day Opening: $2,822,439
Domestic Gross: $8,025,872
Release Date: Fri, 8/22/86
Rating: R
Title: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
3-Day Opening: N/A
Domestic Gross: $26,572,433
Release Date: Fri, 10/18/74
Rating: R
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