Even with four new films this weekend, apparently there’s no Disney like old Disney…The Lion King 3D stayed in the top spot, earning an estimated $22.1 million. The 17-year-old film did have some stiff competition, however, in the Aaron Sorkin-written Moneyball, which edged into second place with an estimated $20.6 million, and the kid-friendly Dolphin Tale, which picked up an estimated $20.2 million. The rest of the list dropped off from there as the Taylor Lautner action vehicle Abduction made much less, only an estimated $11.2 million, while the most expensive film of the newcomers, the action thriller Killer Elite, may have benefited from stars requiring smaller paychecks; with names like Robert De Niro, Jason Statham, Clive Owen among others, the $70 million film only earned an estimated $9.5 million. Overall, the top 5 represent a definite upswing in market activity from the previous week, where The Lion King 3D was the only film to break past $15 million (in fact, its actual take was over $30 million).
With no place left to it, Contagion was forced down to sixth, making an estimated $8.6 million. It stands only a few million away from breaking even domestically (its total domestic gross, $57.1 million, stands just shy of its $60 million price tag), while Drive already has done so, entering its second week with an estimated $5.8 million in weekend take and $21.4 million in overall domestic gross. It may have made more this week than The Help, which made an estimated $4.4 million, but The Help is still the biggest winner currently in the Top 10, with its whopping $154.4 million domestic gross on a $25 million budget.
Amazingly, though, all of these films so far have still performed better than two films that debuted last week. The remake of Straw Dogs made an estimated $2.1 million, and stands currently at $8.9 million domestic gross, a total less than what Killer Elite has made in one. And Straw Dogs stands only slightly better than I Don’t Know How She Does It; Sarah Jessica Parker’s star might be a bit tarnished as the film made under an estimated $2.1 million, for a two week total of only $8 million. Both films were budgeted roughly around $25 million, and neither film looks to be headed for any sort of financial success on the big screen.
Weekend Box-Office (September 23 – September 25)
- The Lion King 3D…$22.1 million
- Moneyball…$20.6 million
- Dolphin Tale…$20.2 million
- Abduction…$11.2 million
- Killer Elite…$9.5 million
- Contagion…$8.6 million
- Drive…$5.8 million
- The Help…$4.4 million
- Straw Dogs…$2.1 million
- I Don’t Know How She Does It…$2.1 million
Seth Paul
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