Box office report
Venerable actor/director Clint Eastwood had the best movie opening of his long and celebrated career over the weekend with “Gran Torino.”
“Gran Torino” made $29 million in ticket sales in its first weekend of wide release, according to the Associated Press. It was Eastwood’s best opening of his career, topping the $18 million his “Space Cowboys” made in 2000.
Eastwood, 78, said the movie may be his last starring performance; the National Board of Review named him best actor of 2008 for the film. He plays disgruntled Korean War veteran who reluctantly helps neighbors targeted by gangs.
“Gran Torino,” which Eastwood also directed, was previously in limited release for four weeks. It moved from 84 theaters to 2,808 this weekend after winning high theater averages, according to AP.
Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson’s wedding comedy “Bride Wars” debuted in second with $21.5 million. The horror flick “The Unborn” opened with $21.1 million for third place.
“Marley & Me,” the Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson dog movie that ranked No. 1 the previous two weekends, came in fourth with $11.4 million. It boosted its overall take to $124 million.
Following the big success last year of “Fireproof,” “Not Easily Broken,” another Christian film about a couple struggling to save their troubled marriage, made the top 10, coming in at No. 9 with $5.6 million. Based on the novel by megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes, the film stars Taraji P. Henson, who has won praise for her performance in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and Morris Chestnut.
With the Golden Globes kicking off awards season Sunday, most of the prize contenders boasted good numbers, but mostly in limited release.
“Benjamin Button” made $9.4 million in its third week of release, for a total of $94 million.
“Milk,” “Revolutionary Road” and “The Wrestler” were among the best performers in screen average. “Defiance,” in its second week of limited release, boasted a strong $33,000 screen average.
“Slumdog Millionaire,” the big winner at Sunday’s Golden Globes, added $3.7 million to its total of $34 million.
The success of “Gran Torino” could help Eastwood’s awards chances. It didn’t win any Globes, but the Oscars have been good to Eastwood’s directorial work, naming “Million Dollar Baby” best picture in 2005.
“This will raise its profile in a very profound way,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media by Numbers, told the AP. “Certainly `Gran Torino’ is in an excellent position. It’s a textbook case of releasing a film in limited, nurturing it for about a month and unleashing it upon the world in a wide release and really capitalizing on that.”
Here’s the weekend’s top 10, from the AP.
1. “Gran Torino,” $29 million.
2. “Bride Wars,” $21.5 million.
3. “The Unborn,” $21.1 million.
4. “Marley & Me,” $11.4 million.
5. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” $9.4 million.
6. “Bedtime Stories,” $8.6 million.
7. “Valkyrie,” $6.7 million.
8. “Yes Man,” $6.2 million.
9. “Not Easily Broken,” $5.6 million.
10. “Seven Pounds,” $3.9 million.
- BAM
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Wow, go Clint. I was a little surprised by how much money that movie made.