"The Grey" knocked last weekend's winner, "Underworld: Awakening," to second place. The vampire and werewolf sequel starring Kate Beckinsale brought in US$12.5 million (RM38 million) from Friday through Sunday at domestic theatres, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday.
In "The Grey," Neeson returns to an action role as a man who leads a team of plane crash survivors who must fight harsh weather and a fierce pack of wolves in the Alaskan wilderness.
The movie played at 3,185 North American (US and Canadian) theatres and earned a per-theatre average of US$6,279 (RM19,104), according to the box office division of Hollywood.com.
Distributor Open Road Films acquired the film for about US$5 million and had projected up to US$12 million (RM36.5 million) in debut weekend sales. The film beat that forecast because "it doesn't look like every other movie out there. In a crowded marketplace, I think it's important to be distinctive," said Open Road Films CEO Tom Ortenberg.
Katherine Heigl's new comedy, "One for the Money," finished in third place with US$11.8 million (RM35.9 million), topping industry forecasts of less than US$10 million (RM13.4 million) for the film, which is based on a best-selling book by Janet Evanovich. Distributor Lions Gate Entertainment said readers who loved the book helped the movie beat expectations.
"We think the audience that showed up are not frequent moviegoers. They're just huge fans of Janet Evanovich," said David Spitz, head of domestic distribution for Lions Gate.
In the film, Heigl plays a cash-strapped woman who joins a bail-bond business and must track down a wanted man who happens to be an ex-boyfriend. Audiences surveyed by exit polling firm CinemaScore game the movie a B-minus on average.
The weekend's other new movie, crime drama "Man on a Ledge," landed in fifth place. The film was distributed by Lions Gate's newly acquired Summit Entertainment unit as release dates and marketing plans were set well before the studios combined earlier this month.
"Man on a Ledge" took in US$8.3 million, within studio forecasts. The movie features "Avatar" star Sam Worthington as a fugitive who threatens to jump from a hotel ledge.
"Red Tails," a drama about black fighter pilots in World War Two, brought in US$10.4 million (RM25.3 million) to land in fourth place in its second weekend in theatres.
Also this weekend, a crop of films capitalised off last week's Oscar nominations.
"The Descendants," starring George Clooney as a father dealing with a family crisis, expanded to 2,001 theatres from 560 and gained 176 per cent from last weekend. The movie took in US$6.6 million (RM20.08 million), lifting its domestic tally to US$58.5 million (RM178 million) since its release last November. The movie has added US$27 million (RM82 million) in international markets for a worldwide total of US$85.5 million (RM260 million).
Black-and-white silent film "The Artist" increased its weekend sales by 40 per cent from a week earlier, bringing in US$3.3 million after adding 235 more screens. To date, the film has grossed US$16.7 million domestically.
Family film "Hugo," which led the Oscar nominations with 11, also jumped 143 per cent to US$2.3 million (RM10 million). Its total sales to date stand at US$58.7 million (RM179 million) domestically.
Open Road Films, a joint venture between theatre owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc, released "The Grey." The film unit of Sony Corp distributed "Underworld: Awakening." "Red Tails" and "The Descendants" were released by divisions of News Corp's Fox Filmed Entertainment. Privately-held The Weinstein Co released "The Artist," and Viacom Inc unit Paramount Pictures distributed "Hugo." — Reuters
