So much for a slow start to the New Year. The low budget horror film The Devil Inside has opened to a ludicrous $32 million dollars in its opening weekend. The film exceeded the studio's modest expectations to win the weekend by a wide margin. Acquired by Paramount for $1 million dollars, The Devil Inside continues the found footage trend pioneered by The Blair Witch Project and cashed in annually by the Paranormal Activity franchise. The Holiday leftovers continue to provide studio sustenance. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took in another $20 million at the box office and is slowly moving towards $200 million in the U.S. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was third with $14 million dollars.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo continues to hold strong but hasn't been the franchise creating cash killer Sony was hoping for, enjoying another solid if not unspectacular weekend with another $11 million in receipts. The thriller will make its way to $100 million dollars, but just barely. There's still talk of filming the sequels back to back with a modified budget, but the film didn't make the kind of bank that would let the studio play with house money.
A few months back I asked the question: Has Spielberg hurt his brand? The answer in the U.S. seems to be "Yes". The Adventures of Tintin is all but forgotten in the States and War Horse will struggle to get to $100 million in ticket sales unless the awards season is particularly kind. Both films were favourably reviewed but neither have struck a strong chord with film fans. The days of Spielberg as an 'Event Filmmaker' seem to be clearly in the rear view mirror. War Horse managed another $8 million dollars while Tintin pulled in another $6 million.
It is rather surprising when a no budget horror film like The Devil Inside comes out with no name actors and will end up clearing more than oscar bait like Young Adult and The Descendents as well as family fare like Happy Feet Two and Arthur Christmas. The horror genre may be queued for a comeback.
The good news this weekend was the excellent per-screen average of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which netted over $7000 per screen at 800+ theaters for a $5.5 million dollar opening. This is another film that should benefit from the award season nominations.
Here's your top films for North America:
1. The Devil Inside
Weekend Estimate: $32 million
2. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Weekend Estimate: $20 million; $170 million total
3. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Weekend Estimate: $14 million; $156 million total
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Weekend Estimate: $11 million (weekend); $76m total
5. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (even typing this pains me)
Weekend Estimate: $9 million (weekend); $110m total
Anghus Houvouras
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