Despite a fairly large drop-off that can be attributed to Halloween falling on a Friday, Disney's High School Musical 3: Senior Year managed to remain atop the US box office this weekend.
The Zac Efron-starring phenomenon pulled in an estimated $15 million over the last three days for a total gross of $61 million after ten days. While by no means the money-hoovering juggernaut that many had been expecting, it's still a damned impressive total. And, at one stage, when the film pulled in just over a million dollars on Halloween Friday, it looked like the Disney tentpole might be in danger of recording a record second weekend drop.
But, once the scary masks and fake blood had been put away, America's tweens came out in force once again and propelled the bouncy musical to a comfortable first place finish. It's unlikely to make one hundred million dollars, but next weekend should tell us for sure.
In second place – and also recovering from a horrific Friday start – was Kevin Smith's Zack & Miri Make A Porno, which pulled in an estimated $10.6 million. Last week, we were fairly confident that, with a marketing campaign focusing on stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, Smith's latest might be his first break-out hit.
In the end, that didn't happen. Even though Smith's name was rarely mentioned in marketing materials, the movie's opening was right in line with Smith's recent output (a little ahead of Clerks II, a little behind Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). Perhaps they were put off by the title (some advertisers refused to allow use of the word 'porno'), or perhaps it looked like just another Judd Apatow comedy. Or maybe Smith is cursed to remain in the realm of movies that gross around $25 million, like some slacker Woody Allen.
Either way, Zack & Miri Made A Porno That Outgrossed Saw V In Its Second Weekend. The fifth in the most popular horror franchise of all time dropped an estimated 66% from last weekend to pull in around $10 million. It now has $45.8 million after ten days, and should end up with about $60 million. More than enough to make Saw VI a reality.
With Oscar season just around the corner, Clint Eastwood's Changeling was one of the first films to fire a few shots across the bows of its rivals. The Angelina Jolie-starrer expanded from limited release into around 1,850 cinemas, and grossed an estimated $9.4 million as a result. Its $5,000 per-screen average was the highest in the top 10 – only time will tell, though, if it's a genuine Oscar contender.
There was one other new entry in the top 10 this weekend – the horror film, The Haunting Of Molly Hartley, which picked up just $6 million. Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla, despite an expansion into over 800 cinemas, failed to breach the top 10, grossing just $1.75 million, for a total of just over $2 million thus far.
To see the finished chart, go to [www.boxofficemojo.com
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Next week – November 7 – should have seen the launch of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. But when that movie moved to next summer, it paved the way for a trio of comedies instead. The undisputed champion should be animated sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, but it'll be interesting to see how Soul Men – the Samuel L. Jackson movie that marks the last performance of the late, great Bernic Mac – and the R-rated Role Models will fare. Perhaps the latter could be the movie that finally pushes the wonderful Paul Rudd over the top as a bankable leading man. We'll find out for sure next week...