Geekscape’s Box Office Roundup For the Weekend of 10/28/11
This weekend, Puss In Boots was the cat’s meow at the box office as it clawed and scratched its way to the top, scaring off the competition
The Top
The Shrek spin-off Puss In Boots dominated the Halloween weekend by earning $34 million. Despite spitting out the competition like a furball, the opening can’t be considered a giant win as it’s going to have to hold at a remarkable level to reach its $130 million budget.
From a Dreamworks angle, Megamind opened to $46 million last year at this time. It failed to beat its father project’s debut as Shrek opened stronger way back in 2001 with $42 million and is only half of Shrek Forever After’s $71 million way back in 2010. It actually opened worse than every Dreamworks release but two. Antz opened with $17.2 million in 1998, which isn’t too far off of Puss’s performance when you factor in inflation and the extra dollars coming in for 3D showings. It also beat Flushed Away, which opened with $18.8 million in 2006, which is not surprising because there was nothing appealing about that movie at all. “Hey, I know! Let’s make a movie about rats mucking about in the sewers!” You could tell it was gonna be a turd just from that pitch.
From a vagina angle, its close to where Octopussy’s $8.9 million would be after inflation, but made over four times what The Box saw with its $7.5 million opening in 2009 and Snatch’s $8 million in 2000. It made almost seven times the $4.5 million that Josie And The Pussycats earned in 2001, and that movie is criminally underrated. Such a great movie.
Puss In Boots slightly bests the $10 million Sleepwalkers opened with in 1992 and The Ghost And The Darkness’s $9 million in 2006. Those were cat comparisons.
Who would win in a fight? Puss In Boots or the Nasonex Bee?
The Rest
Paranormal Activity 3, the sequel to Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 2, saw a monstrous 65% drop to come in second with $18.5 million. After a historic opening weekend, a sizable drop was expected, but that number is still a little higher than the 60% drop Paranormal Activity 2 saw in its second weekend last year. However, Paranormal Activity 2 ended its theatrical run with $84 million, and Paranormal Activity 3 sits at $81 million after 10 days. The original Paranormal Activity ended its run with $108 million, and actually saw a 7.5% increase in its second weekend of wide release.
Gilmore walked in thinking this was an entirely different type of movie.
America’s favorite new action star, Justin Timberlake, came In Third with In Time. The sci-fi actioner about time literally being money brought in just $12 million.
In Time is the singer turned actor’s first real attempt at being an action star. The attempt fizzles in comparison to Mark Wahlberg’s The Corruptor’s $15 million in 1999 and Will Smith’s $15.5 million with Bad Boys in 1996. But it is better than LL Cool J’s $4 million with In Too Deep, also in 1999.
Yes, I realize those other guys were all rappers, but what else do you want me to compare it to? On The Line?
The Footloose remake cut loosed its way into the fourth spot by adding another $5.4 million to its total. It’s a movie about a town that outlaws dancing.
The Rum Diary pulled in a measly $5 million and opened in fifth. It seems low for a Johnny Depp movie, but is right on par with his previous Hunter S. Thompson love letter, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, which opened with $3.3 million in 1999. However, Fear and Loathing was made for $18 million, whereas The Rum Diary had a $50 million budget.
The Rum Diary co-stars Amber Heard, who is quite possibly the closest thing to perfection we have on this planet. You should watch All The Boys Love Mandy Lane.
In the U.S. this many people on a bike would be illegal.
Real Steel fell out of the top five for the first time since its release four weeks ago and finished sixth, followed by The Three Musketeers in seventh and The Ides Of March holding strong at eighth.
Moneyball is still hanging in there at ninth, while Dolphin Tale finally fell out of the top 10. Courageous actually jumped back into the top 10 to take 10th.
The Worst
Come on, it’s a holiday. Let’s all just enjoy Halloween and not be mean for a week.
Next
Will Tower Heist join the recent run of star-filled bombs? Or will it actually hijack the top spot from Puss In Boots? How amazing does A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas look? Will it have the power to make an impact on the top five?
