In adult-driven weekend, 'Argo' places second to 'Taken 2'

For the second weekend in a row, Taken 2 finished first. Even though the Liam Neeson-led kidnapping thriller dropped 55% from the previous weekend, its $22.5 million total was still $2 million more than the second-place finisher, Argo. With $86 million earned to date, Taken 2 is seriously outpacing its predecessor. Taken had only earned $53 million by its second week, but it did have very low week-over-week drops that helped make it a sleeper hit.

Ben Affleck's writing/directing/starring effort, Argo placed second with $20.1 million. Affleck's last movie, The Town, opened slightly higher, at $23 million, and ended up earning four times its

Ben Affleck in 'Argo'

opening weekend. Argo, with an "A+" CinemaScore in exit polls, could easily surpass that figure, earning five or six times its opening weekend, especially if the positive word-of-mouth is complemented by recognition come awards season. 74% of viewers were over the age of 35. My parents, who were in their late twenties during the Iranian hostage crisis depicted in the film, reported the '70s costumes, big glasses, and old news footage helped bring that time of their life back in vivid (and suspenseful) detail.

 

The horror flick Sinister did solid business with an $18.2 million total. Younger audiences turned out for the scares, with a fairly even male/female split. Although that's right around the same amount as slow-burn horror sensation

Kevin James in 'Here Comes the Boom'

Insidious, it's more likely that Sinister will get steamrolled by Paranormal Activity 4 next weekend.

 

Here Comes the Boom had a disappointing opening weekend of just $12 million. That's far below star Kevin James' other openings, including the $31 million opening weekend of Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the $20 million for The Zookeeper.
There's a chance this movie could turn around. Family-driven titles
tend to stick around for a while, and this one earned an "A" CinemaScore rating from viewers.

Seven Psychopaths had a disappointing weekend, with a nationwide release that yielded just $4.2 million. That's the worst wide opening ever for CBS Films, which already has a bad track record with a number of films that have opened below $10 million. Despite its poor showing, audiences liked the movie. The majority of viewers were male, and 71% of the audience was over 25.

'Seven Psychopaths'

Younger viewers (18-34), though, were most enamored with the black comedy about crime, giving it an "A-" rating that exceeded the overall average of "B+."

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower added 500 theatres for 726 total. The Emma Watson-led comedy about outsider teens added $2.1 million to its total thanks to the expansion, a 36% increase from the previous week.

Higher up on the chart, Pitch Perfect posted a strong hold, dipping just 37% to earn $9.3 million. With $36 million to date, the a capella comedy has already made back two times its budget. Sounds like  a success for Universal.

 Despite added attention thanks to conservative-driven movies in the marketplace, Atlas Shrugged: Part II performed on par with its predecessor. Part I opened to $1.6 million last April, while Part II debuted to $1.7 million. What's worse is that the follow-up opened in three times as many theatres, meaning every location's theatres were one-third as full, and distribution costs were higher.

On the heels of a "60 Minutes" story about the doc last Sunday, Searching for Sugar Man soared 135% from the previous week for a total of $203,000, its highest weekend in a three-month run. The doc about a musician who becomes a hit in an apartheid-era South Africa and never knows it also expanded from 38 to 157 locations.

This Friday, Paranormal Activity 4 will jump on the pre-Halloween horror bandwagon, and Tyler Perry will play a smart action hero in Alex Cross. Well-reviewed The Sessions will open small with an eye towards gathering accolades come awards season.

'Taken 2' sweeps box office with $50 million

Three years after his daughter was stolen in Taken, Liam Neeson was captured in Taken 2.  With an astonishing $50 million, Taken 2 doubled the opening of the predecessor and drew audiences across all demographics. Abroad, the thriller is also a hit, with totals already exceeding the domestic
opening total. I'm sure there are movie executives out there right now trying to figure out how to make a Taken 3. What's next--kidnapping the family dog? Neeson starts a kidnapping consulting firm? Although critics had mainly unkind things to say about the follow-up, audiences graded the Liam Neeson vehicle a solid "B+."

Frankenweenie floundered compared to the second weekend of Hotel Transylvania. The Tim Burton-directed animated feature, which ended up with $11.5 million, suffered in part due to Hotel Transylvania's positive momentum. The black-and-white movie drew couples, who made up 32% of the audience, and another 52% of attendees were families. Frankenweenie
may have appealed to adults at the expense of the children. Hotel Transylvania, which included the vocal talents of Adam Sandler and his style of broader humor, placed second with $26.3 million, a mere 38% fall from the previous week.

Female moviegoers turned out in force for Pitch Perfect, which reeled in $14.7 million as it expanded nationwide after a successful limited release last weekend. 80% of ticketbuyers were female. The college a capella comedy drew viewers from roughly the same demographic as the cast, with 60% of attendees under the age of 30. The skewed demographics indicate this is a movie for a very specific demographic, which could limit its box office total, Still, the audience that turned out will likely become huge advocates of the comedy: they gave it an "A" CinemaScore in exit polls.

This week was a lackluster one in the specialty sector. Director Lee Daniels' The Paperboy averaged $10,000 per screen at 11 locations, the best opening of any specialty film. Poor reviews should dampen the release, though its racy subject matter will draw some viewers, especially those who want to see grown-up teen idol Zac Efron semi-naked. The second-highest per-screen average of a new release went to The House I Live In, a documentary criticizing America's drug laws. The Eugene Jarecki-directed movie averaged $9,850 per screen at two locations.

This Friday, director/star Ben Affleck's Oscar hopeful Argo will open. Kevin James will appeal to the the heartland with Here Comes the Boom, Atlas Shrugged: Part II will try to keep up the momentum of conservative-aimed movies. Horror fans will have Sinister, and those in need of a funny crime film can check out Seven Psychopaths.