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Box Office Breakdown: Saw Franchise Ends with a Win

Saw 3D

The Saw franchise, which has been churning out annual entries since kicking off in 2004, introduced a new twist to the latest October entry. That visual element, plus a calendar shift, helped Saw 3D take first place over the holiday weekend.

Despite the $22.5 million debut, Saw 3D – the seventh and final film in the series – didn’t exactly end the series with a bloody bang. The horror flick had the fifth-best open in the entire franchise -- and that's including the higher ticket prices. (Only the 2004 original and 2009’s Saw VI – which was pitted directly against Paranormal Activity – did worse.)

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

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Box Office Breakdown: Paranormal Activity Takes Over Theaters

Paranormal Activity 2

Combine a mysterious baby and a barking dog with a $3 million budget – and what do you get? Horror’s biggest opener to date.

, Paramount’s follow to last year’s surprise hit, scared up a record-breaking $40.7 million over the pre-Halloween weekend. The film not only took first place away from Jackass 3D, it edged past Friday the 13th for the scream title. (That 2009 remake debuted to $40.6 million in February 2009.)

Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood’s , which expanded from a limited release, also made entry into the Top 10. The Matt Damon-starrer settled into fourth place with a $12 million take.

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Jackass Kicks Competition’s Ass

Although the next Saw film isn’t due until October 29, many theatergoers saw pain inflicted in 3D this past weekend.

The premiere of Jackass 3D, a film based on the former MTV series, has already broken franchise and box office records since debuting three days ago. The documentary, which was produced for $19 million, earned a shocking $50.3 million -- approximately $21 million more than 2006’s Jackass: Number Two (and $28 million more than 2002’s Jackass: The Movie).

Paramount’s entry also bested previous October openers. Up until recently, Scary Movie 3’s $48.1 million from 2003 had been the figure to beat.

Meanwhile, Red generated what could have been first-place sized numbers on any other weekend. The action film starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren rang up $21.8 million -- enough for second place.

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Very Small Take for Wes Craven

My Soul to Take

Neither Wes Craven’s name nor 3-D ticket prices could help Universal this weekend.

, which cost an estimated $25 million to produce, earned a scary $6.8 million over the past three days. (That’s a figure that includes ticket sales from 3-D venues.) The movie, which debuted in sixth place, was just one of several horror-ific disappointments this week. Two-week-old Case 39 fell to ninth place while Let Me In dropped completely out of the Top 10.

Romantic comedy raised $14.5 million, about $1 million shy of first place. (The Social Network was tops for the second time in a row.) Despite heavy promotion, Life was Katherine Heigl’s smallest debut since her pre-Knocked Up days.

, the weekend’s other new wide release, galloped into third place with $12.7 million. Seabiscuit, in comparison, premiered to $20.9 million in 2003.

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

Quote of the Day: Aaron Johnson on Life as We Know It

Aaron Johnson in Kick-Ass

“I’m not plugging . That’s exactly what I’m not doing. I was looking at the poster and the trailer for it and it’s like ‘C’mon, f**kin’ hell.’ The whole thing is like, “Oh my God, oh my God, this baby is sh*tting everywhere. There’s sh*t on my face! What the f**k is a diaper, what do I sterilize? Uh do I put my dick in the sterilizer?”

-Kick-Ass actor and new father Aaron Johnson explaining why he would not recommend the Katherine Heigl movie.

(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)

Read More | GQ via New York Post


In Theaters This Weekend: October 8, 2010


Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Life as We Know It (PG-13): starring Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas (directed by Greg Berlanti)
  • My Soul to Take (R): starring Max Thieriot, John Magaro, Emily Meade (directed by Wes Craven)
  • Secretariat (PG): starring Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh (directed by Randall Wallace)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 8, 2010


Casting Corner: Gina Carano, Christina Hendricks and More

Gina CaranoChristina Hendricks

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Gina Carano: The mixed martial arts competitor has just scored herself a Steven Soderbergh film. Gina (also known as American Gladiators’ “Crush”) will star in Knockout, an thriller about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Carano’s character will get to use her fighting skills for a purpose while traveling around the world. Production will be in January.

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Casting Corner: Jason Sudeikis, Mark Ruffalo and More

Jason SudeikisMark Ruffalo

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Jason Sudeikis: The Saturday Night Live star may be on board for Going the Distance, a romantic comedy starring (exes?) Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. Sudeikis is in talks to play Box, a friend who thinks Justin’s long-distance relationship with Drew is a mistake. (Don’t we all?) Nanette Burstein (American Teen) has been tapped to direct the New Line movie.

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