'The Last Exorcism' claims first place, with 'Takers' not far behind

By Sarah Sluis

The belief that horror movies open big was proved yet again this weekend, with The Last Exorcism grabbing the top spot with $21.3 million. The audience was primarily female and over half Latino, which according to Box Office Mojo is the big market for these kinds of supernatural horror movies.

Takers had to settle for second by a margin of just $300,000, finishing at an estimated $21 million even. The contest is close enough that when the actual numbers come in, the first place winner could be reversed. Though the heist movie features virtually an all-male cast, the gender of

audiences was split almost 50/50. The hunk appeal of the stars may have made this an equal draw for both males and females, with a stylish presentation to boot.

The re-release of Avatar was expected to gross in the high single digit millions, but fell short of that, finishing with $4 million in twelfth place. However, since the movie is already out on home video, many die-hard fans probably already saw the film recently, and the idea of seeing an extra 8 1/2 minutes of footage maybe just wasn't that enticing. The re-release gave 20th Century Fox bragging rights, however: It pushed the movie over the $750 million mark domestically.

Elsewhere in the top ten, Twilight spoof Vampires Suck fell 56% to $5.3 million. The horror movie Piranha 3D plummeted 57% to $4.3 million, a fate that The Last Exorcism will probably endure next week. Lottery Ticket, also in its second week, fell from fourth right out of the top ten to eleventh with $4 million.

Titles with more staying power included Inception and The Other Guys, each of which dipped in the 35% range. Male-driven action movie The Expendables had a strong showing in its third weekend, dipping 44%. Eat Pray Love leveled its fall slightly, dropping 42% this week compared to 47% last week. Its reported budget was $60 million, and the film has now grossed just as much.

This Friday, George Clooney stars as an aging spy in The American, while Grindhouse-inspired Machete takes on the un-American illegal immigration policies through the guise of an exploitation movie. A bicoastal romance between Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, Going the Distance, rounds out the bunch.

'Takers' and 'The Last Exorcism' take on 'Avatar' re-release

By Sarah Sluis

Kids are starting to go back to school, the first cold chill has swept through New York City, and summer is drawing to a close. This week will be a light one at the box office, with a couple of fun, genre-y diversions sharing space with the re-release of Avatar.

A "Michael Mann-lite," stylish drama about a bank heist, Takers (2,206 theatres) features a cast including hip-hop stars Chris Brown and T.I., "The Wire"'s Idris Elba, and well-known actors Matt Dillon and Star Wars-cursed Hayden Christensen. Younger audiences may get the most out of the movie, which "is actually kind of cool, if you've never watched this kind of thing before," according to critic Frank Lovece, who himself was plagued by an ability to predict the plot twists well in advance.

The Last Exorcism (2,874 theatres) pairs up a charlatan priest with a real-life exorcism case, shot in a mockumentary style that "works

beautifully," according to critic Maitland McDonagh. Teen girls are expected to shriek through the PG-13 contortions of their peer, but "hardcore gore-hounds will be disappointed by the lack of flashy special effects," predicts McDonagh, since the movie "is more concerned with psychological chills."

Avatar will be re-released in 810 3D venues, including 125 IMAX theatres. The reboot is expected to provide a boon to exhibitors, with an expected gross in the high single millions. The second round in theatres will also help promote the movie's deluxe DVD and Blu-ray release in November. An extra 8 1/2 minutes of footage has been added to provide incentive for fans to see the movie yet again. Especially the kind of fans that tattoo Avatar characters on their back.

For specialty audiences, part one of the ominously titled Mesrine: Death Instinct will open in 28 theatres. The French gangster film is "snazzily shot" but "disappointingly superficial," according to critic Jon

Frosch. Forced incest takes center stage in the Mexican film Daniel & Ana (NYC), and lovers of B-movies will get a kick out of Gladiator-esque Centurion (9 theatres) from director Neil Marshall. Critic Ethan Alter dubbed him "one of the most reliable contemporary creators of kick-ass genre flicks," and I'll praise him for authoring the truly creepy cave horror movie The Descent.

On Monday, we'll see if there were any takers for Takers, if The Last Exorcism enticed spook-seeking audiences, and if Avatar's second coming resulted in crowded theatres filled with people anxious for a second glimpse.