Gravity tops North American box office for second consecutive weekend

Entertainment

Oct 15, 2013

Outer space drama Gravity has topped the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend.

The astronaut thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney took $44.3 million, according to early estimates.

Gravity easily beat Tom Hanks’ latest film, Captain Phillips, which took $26 million.

The movie tells the true story of the cargo ship captain who was taken hostage by Somali pirates after his ship was hijacked in 2009.

Gravity and Captain Phillips have earned critical acclaim with both Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks tipped as likely Oscar contenders.

Gravity‘s successful second week haul brings its total US domestic takings to $123.4 million.

“They say what goes up must come down, but that’s not really true with Gravity,” box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.

“To have opened as big as it did last week and only drop 21% [in revenue], that’s really an amazing hold. It’s a direct testament to the word of mouth on the movie.”

Gravity has topped the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend

Animated sequel Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 was at three in its third week of release with $14.2 million.

The weekend’s only other new release, Machete Kills, opened in fourth place with $3.8 million.

The gun-toting sequel from director Robert Rodriguez and starring Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez is the follow-up to Machete, which earned $11.4 million when it opened in 2010.

Runner Runner, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, fell two places to five with $3.7 million.

North American box office top 5:

1. Gravity – $44.3 million

2. Captain Phillips – $26 million

3. Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs 2 – $14.2 million

4. Machete Kills – $3.8 million

5. Runner Runner – $3.7 million

Source: Hollywood.com

[youtube OiTiKOy59o4]

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 debuts at No 1 in US box office

Entertainment

Sep 30, 2013

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs sequel has debuted at number one in the US, taking $35 million in its first weekend.

In doing so, it surpassed the original movie, which took $30.3 million during its opening weekend in 2009.

Last week’s top film, Prisoners, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman slipped to second place.

Formula One movie Rush, which depicts the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, took third spot.

Based on a children’s book, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs was a breakout hit for Sony Animation in 2009.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 is an original story, in which inventor Flint Lockwood must save the day after one of his inventions malfunctions, creating food-animal creatures that overtake the region of Swallow Falls.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs sequel has debuted at number one in the US, taking $35 million in its first weekend

It has been well-received by US critics: The New York Daily News called it “loud, weird and chaotic”, while Variety praised its “zany tone and manic pace”.

However, its multi-million dollar box office haul was atypical in a week where new releases performed below expectations.

Comedy movie Baggage Claim, starring Paula Patton as a woman on a mission to find a partner, opened in fourth spot with $9.3 million.

And drama Don Jon, starring Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, opened at number five with $9 million.

North American Box Office Top 5:

1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 – $35 million

2. Prisoners – $11.2 million

3. Rush $10.3 million

4. Baggage Claim – $9.3 million

5. Don Jon – $9 m

Source: Hollywood.com