#1 is Retaken by Taken 2!
Audiences certainly couldn’t complain about a lack of variety at theaters this weekend, but ended up gravitating to the familiar, putting TAKEN 2 back at the top with another $22.5 million for its second weekend.
Not even grim reviews (an average 21% on Rotten Tomatoes) could stop Liam Neeson from blasting a path through kidnappers on his way to a $218 million worldwide total (already just shy of the first TAKEN’s eventual $226 global take).
On the opposite end of the critical spectrum, and hot on the heels of Neeson’s skilled slayer of abductors, was Ben Affleck’s ARGO in second with $20.1 million. The fact-based thriller is currently at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and is gathering award buzz, so word-of-mouth should help it stick around for a while — much like Affleck’s critically acclaimed directing/starring 2010 effort THE TOWN, which started with $23.8M and ultimately worked its way up to a $92.1M total.
Crowds looking to get into the Halloween spirit found their chills in SINISTER, which had a third place opening with $18.2 million. The supernatural spooker, starring Ethan Hawke and directed by Scott Derrickson (THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE), only cost around $3M and got a healthy head start on next weekend’s other low-budget frightener PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4.
The CG spookhouse HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA wasn’t far behind with $17.3 million, pushing it past the $100 million mark in its third weekend. Kevin James (who voices Frankenstein’s monster in that one) got slammed to the mat with his new MMA comedy HERE COMES THE BOOM, entering the octagon with $12 million for fifth place.
The weekend’s other new major release SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS couldn’t quite draw the crowds, landing down in ninth with $4.2 million. Granted, the crime caper (from IN BRUGES director Martin McDonagh) only opened on around half the number of screens as most of the movies in the Top 10, but its per-screen average wasn’t much better than that of FRANKENWEENIE and LOOPER (in their second and third weekends) above it. Still, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS may not be burning up the box office, but considering the cast and positive reviews it’s likely to be a future cult favorite.
Making its way onto the chart (expanding into 726 locations) is the coming-of-age tale THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER with $2.1M, edging out the new Ayn Rand adaptation ATLAS SHRUGGED: PART II. Additionally, END OF WATCH, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE, HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET and THE MASTER all dropped out of view to make room for the new pics.
Next week finds Tyler Perry wearing Morgan Freeman’s old clothes to fight a lean Matthew Fox in ALEX CROSS, while there’s yet more recordings of domestic terror in PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4.
What type of material would you most like to see Ben Affleck direct in the future? VOTE HERE!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taken 2 | $22.5 M | $86.7 M |
| 2 | Argo | $20.1 M | NEW |
| 3 | Sinister | $18.2 M | NEW |
| 4 | Hotel Transylvania | $17.3 M | $102.1 M |
| 5 | Here Comes the Boom | $12 M | NEW |
| 6 | Frankenweenie | $7 M | $22 M |
| 7 | Pitch Perfect | $9.3 M | $36 M |
| 8 | Looper | $6.3 M | $51.4 M |
| 9 | Seven Psychopaths | $4.2 M | NEW |
| 10 | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | $2.1 M | $6.1 M |