It was a big weekend at the box office, as both new releases vied for the top spot, pulling in similar numbers. So similar in fact, that even though early estimates suggest that Gone Girl might have taken the crown, we'll have to wait for official numbers to come in on Monday to see which movie really eked out the number one. Gone Girl opened above expectations, pulling in $38 million, but it has a ways to go to make up its $61 million budget, while Annabelle has already scored enough to be a success, since it cost just $6 million and made over $37 million. Oscar buzz should help Gone Girl out in the next few weeks, as adult dramas that open in the fall generally tend to have leggy runs, although word of mouth may be mixed, as both films got an underwhelming "B" Cinemascore from audiences. The crowds were also very different, with Annabelle's audience skewing younger, while the demo for Girl was mostly female and 75% over age 25.
The rest of the top five were holdovers, with The Equalizer holding up very well despite direct competition, falling just 44% from last week, and The Boxtrolls dropping a miniscule 28% to land in fourth place. The Maze Runner rounded out the top five with another $12 million, bringing the movie's total to just under $74 million. In other news, Nicolas Cage's dismally reviewed faith-based thriller Left Behind opened with only $6.9 million, while Reese Witherspoon's The Good Lie also underwhelmed in limited release with just under $1 million from 461 screens.
Top 5:
- Gone Girl- $38 million
- Annabelle- $37.2 million
- The Equalizer- $19 million
- The Boxtrolls- $12.4 million
- The Maze Runner- $12 million
Next week it's Robert Downey Jr.'s The Judge, with Robert Duvall, which is really going to test RDJ's box office powers, since the movie has gotten some very weak reviews since opening at Toronto in September. Other than that it'll be limited release openings for some other buzzed about indies, including Bill Murray's St. Vincent and the Sundance hit Whiplash.
