| Film | Weekend | Per | Total | |
| 1 | Michael Jackson’s This Is It | $21,300,000 | $6,119 | $32,509,000 |
| 2 | Paranormal Activity | $16,540,000 (-21.6%) | $6,880 | $84,780,000 |
| 3 | Law Abiding Citizen | $7,303,000 (-41.1%) | $2,642 | $51,385,000 |
| 4 | Couples Retreat | $6,097,000 (-42.6%) | $2,015 | $86,663,000 |
| 5 | Saw VI | $5,560,000 (-60.6%) | $1,831 | $22,824,000 |
| 6 | Where the Wild Things Are | $5,081,000 (-63.8%) | $1,394 | $61,800,000 |
| 7 | The Stepfather | $3,400,000 (-45.4%) | $1,449 | $24,748,000 |
| 8 | Astro Boy | $3,035,000 (-54.7%) | $1,005 | $10,891,000 |
| 9 | Amelia | $3,000,000 (-23.2%) | $2,804 | $8,306,000 |
| 10 | Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant | $2,809,000 (-55.4%) | $1,020 | $10,521,000 |
This just in: More bad news for people who like bad news.
There was word that This is It might be the biggest thing ever, ever, ever, but it isn’t, and so some are going to poo-poo the gross. Often this becomes political. The truth is that This is It qua theatrical is almost a trailer for the CD and DVD/Blu-ray to follow. It sounds like Sony pushed off the street date of the video release until after the end of the year, but that was the game plan initially, and they aren’t going to wait very long. But if you’ve got a competitive marketplace, and got this film, you might have to play it for six weeks, regardless. So I understand why the DVD got pushed off. With the global numbers, the box office of the film is likely to be about as much as it cost domestically, but as this is not just a film, that’s still solid.
The story is still Paranormal Activity, which is on its way to get to $100 Million. It should lose some steam next week unless Zeitgeist takes over for the dip of post-Halloween. Nearly at $85 Million, it’s a hop skip and jump from those numbers,but at this point, the film has done everything it could, and Paramount will not be able to hide the profits on this one.
I was going to ask Ingmar Bergman what he thought, but ever since last week, he took a job working for The Hollywood Reporter. Cocksucker.
Law Abiding looks to be solid for what it is, and something of an audience picture. Couples Retreat may also get to $100, but it’s one of the most forgettable $100’s of late. That number means very little these days. As poor as the gross is for Saw VI, it’s already doubled its production budget. Saw VII is surely in the pike.
There’s not much good to say about the Where the Wild Things Are number. They got it open, but at best it gets to $80 Million. Not a disaster by any stretch, it’s going to have to get its money back on home video. Likely this will be a perennial for some. Blech. Amelia cracked the top ten by adding some screens, but it should struggle to get to $20 Million. Cirque is a bomb-diggity, and Astroboy is a failure.
Dear Andre Dellamorte,
Do you have anything else to add to this week?
Signed,
Billy (age 8)
Thanks, Billy, no I don’t, but I do have some advice. Listen to rap music. Try and make out as often as possible. Go watch some Jean Cocteau films. Read Ayn Rand. Dress up as your favorite Buffy The Vampire Slayer character whenever you can get away with. Visit a RenFaire at least once in your life. Don’t eat cheap chocolate. Don’t drink and drive. If you love it, put a ring on it. Learn how to dance. Wash your junk before sex. It’s just polite, and don’t forget your butthole. Tell your parents you love them even if you don’t mean it. Watch Observe and Report. Hate sports. That’s about it.