With "Gone Girl" dominating the movie conversation for the past couple of weeks, thanks to a heavy (and probably expensive) campaign by 20th Century Fox, the studio probably didn’t expect it to be this close. But David Fincher‘s thriller edged out Warner Bros. low budget horror spinoff "Annabelle" for the top spot this weekend.
Earning $38 million, the film is Fincher’s best opening weekend (not adjusted for inflation) since "Panic Room" in 2002. It’s also Ben Affleck‘s third best opening, behind "Pearl Harbor" and "Daredevil." So the next question about "Gone Girl" is whether or not it’ll play in the Oscar conversation, but you can sure that Fox will be strategizing as such over the coming weeks and months.
As for "Annabelle" —who knew? Reviews were pretty savage compared to "The Conjuring" which it’s spun off from, and it looked like just another scary doll flick, but clearly this franchise has a lot left in the tank. In fact, "Annabelle" was in the top spot on Friday, before "Gone Girl" took over during the weekend. It bodes very well for Warner Bros. who have "The Conjuring 2" slotted for a prime July 2015 release date.
Elsewhere, last week’s number one picture "The Equalizer" held in at third place (and it’s interesting to note the top three films this weekend—the best October weekend in history — are all rated R) earning another $19 million. YA franchise "The Maze Runner" hung in the top five with $12 million, with $100 million total domestic now in its sights.
Nic Cage‘s Christian drama/unintentional comedy "Left Behind" also opened, but even the power of Kirk Cameron couldn’t push the film past sixth place, with $6 million.
In limited release, Reese Witherspoon‘s feel good drama "The Good Lie" could only muster $935,000 in limited release (with a per screen average of just over $2000), and probably won’t go much further due to the crowded autumn. Meanwhile, Jason Reitman‘s ensemble drama "Men, Women & Children" earned just $48,000 from 17 theaters, with a not so hot average of $2,824/per screen. This might be his worst box office yet, and it seems like it’ll take a miracle to get even near the $13 million of "Labor Day."
1. Gone Girl $38 million
2. Annabelle $37.2 million
3. The Equalizer $19 million ($64.5 mil)
4. The Boxtrolls $12.4 million ($32.5 mil)
5. The Maze Runner $12 million ($73.9 mil)
6. Left Behind $6.8 million
7. This Is Where I Leave You $4 million ($29 mil)
8. Dolphin Tale $3.5 million ($37.9 mil)
9. Guardians Of The Galaxy $3 million ($323.3 mil)
10. No Good Deed $2.5 million ($37.9 mil)
Nic Cage\’s Christian drama/unintentional comedy "Left Behind" …
EPIC!