EARLY BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES: 'The Last Exorcism' looks to have had a devil of a debut to scare up first place, battling it out with 'Takers' in a close-to-call session. But, 'Avatar Special Edition' suffered Na'vi fatigue in its return to the big screen, all part of another blah weekend at the movies.
Oh, that late summer ennui is settling in hard, delivering an overall box office total that actually registered under $100 million! Still, that doesn't mean the studios are fighting hard for bragging rights for number one. Check out this morning's battle royale between Lionsgate and Screen Gems. The contenders: "The Last Exorcism" and "Takers."
Who can resist a country girl scaling the walls thanks to demonic possession? Apparently quite a few as "The Last Exorcism" scared up $21.3 million to lead the Weekend Final Five. Bolstered by its PG-13 rating, an on-target ad campaign and a hysterical viral video program, "The Last Exorcism" even courted solid reviews, which could bode well for its future. However, the ensemble drama "Takers" found a winning number with the urban crowd with $21 million, performing well ahead of industry projections. Check this space for updates as estimates are confirmed by Deadline.com and Box Office Mojo as both films could switch places by tomorrow.
As for the rest of the Weekend Final Five: The Expendables are still fighting the good fight. After two weeks at number one, the hit actioner dropped to third with $9.5M for an overall gross of $82M. "Eat Pray Love" is still feeding the faithful, earning $7M for an overall cume of $60.7M as it entered its third week. The comedy stylings of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in "The Other Guys" edged closer to the $100 million mark. It nabbed fifth position with $6.6M for a total of $99.3M after four weekends.
And how did "Avatar Special Edition" do in its heralded return to the big screen? Hollywood haters are not shedding any tears over the $3.8M it earned from 812 IMAX and 3D screens, which resulted in a 12th place finish. For the record, and it has several, "Avatar" has now earned nearly $754 million at the box office since its debut last December.
Will "The Last Exorcism" continue to put the fear of God in us all for a second weekend? Or will audiences whip out their passports for international intrigue with George Clooney as "The American?" Perhaps the rom com fun of Drew Barrymore and Justin Long will have moviegoers "Going the Distance over Labor Day weekend" Or will the long-awaited debut of Robert Rodriguez's "Machete" cut through the pack? Find out next weekend in Examiner.
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