It took a while, but The Help has finally been displaced as the number one film in America. The drama is in its fifth week and spent the past three as #1. The Help fell to #2 with an $8.9 million haul over the weekend raising its total to $137 million and change. This one is likely to play for a while yet and will probably cruise past $150 before it’s all said and done.
The film that beat it, Contagion, was packed with star power. The thriller about a virus outbreak that threatens to wipe out humanity from director Steven Soderbergh brought in $22.4 million over the weekend, which was in line with studio expectations. The film is downright creepy and probably makes the germophobes out there squirm just thinking about it. It's a solid film with a solid cast, and it had a respectable debut.
The other major release of the weekend, Warrior, opened at #3 to only $5.2 million, which has to be a disappointment to the studio. After getting quality films like The Wrestler and The Fighter over the past couple of years, it seems like the hunger for fightin’ flicks is just about over. It’s a good movie, and it hits all the right notes, but we’ve seen this before. Had this one waited a couple of years then it might have found a bigger audience.
Elsewhere, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star failed miserably, which makes me happy. It opened at #15 and should be gone from theaters by the end of the month, so I never have to think about it again.
Oh, hey! I saw the lowest grossing movie ever to debut on 1500+ screens! Appearing on 1,507 screens, Creature opened in 29th place with only $327,000, which gives it a per screen average of $217 dollars. That, folks, is bad. Historically bad. The film was shot on a microbudget and distributed by an ambitious distribution company who thought that getting the movie on a bunch of screens would generate lots of excitement (and revenue). Oops. What other films beat it this week? Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain brought in $1.9 million on 98 screens. Something called Mere Brother Ki Dulhan brought in $399,000 from 74 screens. When a stand-up comedy show and a Bollywood film trounce you, there are problems with your business model. I’m guessing this one lasts about as long as Bucky Larson does.
Next week brings us a romantic comedy, I Don’t Know How She Does It, a remake we don’t need, Straw Dogs, and a slick thriller, Drive.
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