By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Warner Bros Pictures, Variety
Where The Wild Things Are
No surprise here. Riding on a wave of buzz, Where The Wild Things Are took the top spot at a highly competitive weekend box office.
Box Office Winner: Where the Wild Things
The weekend box office numbers were so strong that ticket sales were up 40% over the same frame last year. Whoa! A typically slower weak saw moviegoers finding their way to the theaters thanks to Where the Wild Things Are, which opened to an estimated $32.5 million, Law Abiding Citizen, which came in second with $21.3 million, Paranormal Activity, which successfully went wide with $20.2 million, Couples Retreat, which enjoyed $17.9 million in its second outing, and The Stepfather, which took the rest of the horror bracket with $12.3 million.
To sum it up: A pretty effing strong top five. The same weekend last year saw the debut of Max Payne, which topped the BO with $17.6 million.
Warner Bros, who saw $75 million invested in Where the Wild Things Are, has to be breathing a sigh of relief. Director Spike Jonze began shooting the film in 2006 and ended up going through several versions of the film before deciding on the darker tone. A tone that resulted in 48% of the PG's audience to be over the age of 18.
Also celebrating is Overture Films. After seeing disappointment with Righteous Kill, the studio has a new "highest opener" with Law Abiding Citizen's $21.3 million.
Add to Heffee!
