Weekend Box Office Report: October 18-20, 2013

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Gravity orbits a third time!

Distressed astronauts Sandra Bullock and George Clooney fended off three new releases this weekend, keeping GRAVITY at the top for a third week in a row with another $31 million!

Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron's project may have had a long and difficult journey to the launch pad, but it's certainly paying off — in addition to another remarkable hold (28% drop from last week's business), GRAVITY has pulled in $238.5 million worldwide so far. Could it travel on top for a full month at the domestic box office?

In second place once again was the Tom Hanks fact-based thriller CAPTAIN PHILLIPS with $17.3 million, also a steady hold of 32% less than its opening last weekend. The big boarded boat drifted just ahead of CARRIE, in third with $17 million. Despite being the only major horror release of the month, the latest R-rated screen version of Stephen King's story didn't leave a strong impression with audiences, who gave it a chilly 'B-' CinemaScore. They're all gonna laugh at you!

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 came in fourth with $10.1 million, and should chomp into the $100 million mark next week. The sentient CG food sequel stayed just ahead of the new R-rated prison flick ESCAPE PLAN, opening in fifth with $9.8 million.

That's more than stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger generated in their last solo movies (Sly's BULLET IN THE HEAD opened with $4.5 million, while Arnie did slightly better with THE LAST STAND's $6.2 million). Even though ESCAPE PLAN got a 'B+' CinemaScore from paying crowds, things don't seem to look so good for creaky action veterans at the box office unless they're surrounded by other EXPENDABLES.

The numbers tumbled in the bottom half of the chart, particularly for the new drama THE FIFTH ESTATE, opening way down in eighth place with $1.7 million. The actual Wikileaks scandal attracted far more interest than the movie about it (even with "It Guy" Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange) — THE FIFTH ESTATE's per-screen average was nearly equal to PRISONERS in its fifth week of release and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 in its sixth. Safe to say director Bill Condon made out better with his last movies, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN parts 1 and 2 (a combined $1.5 billion worldwide).

The James Gandolfini/Julia Louis-Dreyfus romcom ENOUGH SAID continues prairie-dogging off and on the chart, but the Robert Rodriguez grindhouse actioner MACHETE KILLS is already in the grave after just one week in the Top 10. Ron Howard's RUSH also spun off the track, along with DON JON and BAGGAGE CLAIM. In limited release, the much-buzzed slavery drama 12 YEARS A SLAVE opened with a solid $50k per-screen, while the Robert Redford thriller ALL IS LOST set sail with $16k per-screen and the Daniel Radcliffe Ginsberg biopic KILL YOUR DARLINGS started with $14k per-screen.

Next weekend brings director Ridley Scott and writer Cormac McCarthy's all-star thriller THE COUNSELOR, and Johnny Knoxville combines old age makeup with masochism for your entertainment in JACKASS PRESENTS BAD GRANDPA.

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