New Line Cinema’s The Final Destination slashed its competition at the North American box office, as the horror sequel took the No. 1 spot with a solid $28.3 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The David R. Ellis-directed fourth installment in the popular series delivered a better opening weekend than its predecessors, scoring an average of $9,079 per theater at 3,121 locations. The Final Destination is currently playing in both 3D and standard format.
Last week’s winner, Inglourious Basterds, slipped to No. 2, fending off Rob Zombie’s new entry Halloween II. Starring Brad Pitt (above), Quentin Tarantino’ World War II drama delivered another strong performance at the box office, earning $20 million for a domestic total of $73.7 million after only a little more than one week in release.
Zombie’s horror sequel only made it to third place with a three-day gross of $17.4 million, bringing in almost $10 million less than its 2007 predecessor while scoring an average of only $5,754 per theater at 3,025 locations. In Halloween II, Michael Myers returns to town to do what he does best: kill people.
Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, the weekend’s third wide release, finished at No. 9 with a mere $3.7 million from ticket sales at 1,393 locations. Starring Demetri Martin (above, with Liev Schreiber), the film takes a close look at the events that eventually triggered the Woodstock Festival.
At No. 4, sci-fi action hit District 9 picked up $10.7 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $90.8 million. Following in fifth place with $8 million was G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which brought its cume to $132.4 million after a solid four-week run.
Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams (above, with Chris Messina), slipped to sixth place, pulling in another $7.4 million for a cumulative gross of $70.9 million. At No. 7, The Time Traveler’s Wife, with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, brought home $6.7 million for a total haul of $48.1 million.
At the bottom of the top 10, Robert Rodriguez’s adventure tale Shorts picked up $4.8 million, lifting its domestic total to a paltry $13.5 million after ten days in release. G-Force bagged $2.8 million ($111.8 million total), enough for No. 10.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)