Warm Bodies, Warmer Box Office!
The air outside may be chilly, but the zombie romance WARM BODIES got a fairly warm reception on an otherwise shambling box office weekend, taking the top spot with $20 million (which includes a Thursday night preview).
For a zombie-themed movie, it’s behind the openings of ZOMBIELAND ($24.7M), the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake ($26.7M) and all of the RESIDENT EVIL sequels, but WARM BODIES is admittedly not a “traditional” zombie movie. Its #1 opening may also help boost the recognition factor of star Nicholas Hoult, who again has the lead role in next month’s big-budget fairy tale JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, directed by his X-MEN: FIRST CLASS producer Bryan Singer.
Speaking of the walking dead, Sylvester Stallone’s leading man status appears destined for the grave as his new R-rated action flick BULLET TO THE HEAD placed sixth with just $4.5 million. Despite higher placing on the chart, Stallone’s movie opened with even less than fellow creaky action veteran Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent THE LAST STAND ($6.3M). Seems like at this point, their best bets may be an existing franchise like THE TERMINATOR or an ensemble like THE EXPENDABLES. So don’t be too surprised if Sly prioritizes another RAMBO…
Jason Statham is also feeling the same sting as his EXPENDABLES comrade, with PARKER getting punched down to seventh with with another $3.2 million (although for action stars, it seems like staying on the chart for two weeks in a row is an accomplishment these days).
Last weekend’s top movie HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS dropped into second with $9.2 million (it’s already nearing $100 million worldwide), while SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK hangs onto the #3 spot for the third week in a row (and after three months in release), keeping ahead of the Jessica Chastain one-two punch of MAMA and ZERO DARK THIRTY.
DJANGO UNCHAINED is still riding the trail at #8, LES MISERABLES actually moved up a space since last weekend, and Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN pokes his stovepipe hat back onto the list after slipping from view last week, meaning half the Top 10 are Oscar nominees for Best Picture (although current award darling ARGO also surged this week, and is now hanging just out of view at #11).
Outside the chart, MOVIE 43 made a swift exit after one week, taking GANGSTER SQUAD and BROKEN CITY along with it. The new Walken/Arkin/Pacino crime comedy STAND UP GUYS made a feeble $1.5 million on 659 screens, yet still managed to score a higher per-screen average than Stallone’s latest.
Next weekend brings the Jason Bateman/Melissa McCarthy R-rated comedy IDENTITY THIEF, and the psychological thriller SIDE EFFECTS, which may be the last theatrical release from purportedly retiring director Steven Soderbergh (he still has HBO’s Liberace movie on the way). Additionally, a 3D and IMAX reissue of TOP GUN is shooting up 300 screens for a single week, and the oddball comedy A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III begins its limited release.
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm Bodies | $20 M | NEW |
| 2 | Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters | $9.2 M | $34.4 M |
| 3 | Silver Linings Playbook | $8.1 M | $80.3 M |
| 4 | Mama | $6.7 M | $58.2 M |
| 5 | Zero Dark Thirty | $5.3 M | $77.7 M |
| 6 | Parker | $3.2 M | $12.4 M |
| 7 | Bullet to the Head | $4.5 M | NEW |
| 8 | Django Unchained | $3 M | $150.9 M |
| 9 | Les Miserables | $2.4 M | $141.5 M |
| 10 | Lincoln | $2.4 M | $170.7 M |