Ruben Fleischer’s excellent horror comedy Zombieland stormed the North American box office, slashing its competition this weekend with a solid $25 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The film scored a surprising average of $8,235 per theater at 3,036 locations. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, Zombieland follows four humans trying to survive in a world taken over by zombies.
At a distant No. 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs bagged another $16.7 million, lifting its domestic gross to an impressive $82.3 million after a three-week run. The Sony Pictures Animation release is playing in both 3D and standard format.
Debuting in third place was Disney’s Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double feature in 3D, which is playing at only 1,745 locations but managed to take home a decent $12.5 million. The films’ theatrical run is limited to two weeks.
Following at No. 4 with $7.3 million was Ricky Gervais’ new comedy The Invention of Lying, which opened at 1,707 locations. Gervais plays a man who discovers lying in a world where every human being tells only the truth.
Also opening this weekend was Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It, which finished sixth with a three-day gross of $4.8 million from ticket sales at 1,720 locations. Ellen Page stars as a Texas teenager who gets hooked on roller derby.
Whip It tied with Michael Moore’s latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, in which he focuses on the global financial meltdown and the US Senate’s decision to approve a gigantic bailout.
Meanwhile, the Bruce Willis vehicle Surrogates collected another $7.3 million at No 5, bringing its total haul to $26.3 million. Fame slipped to No. 8, earning $4.7 million for a total of $16.6 million after a little more than one week in release.
Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! dropped to No. 9, picking up $3.8 million for a cumulative gross of $26.5 million. Rounding out the top 10 was Love Happens, starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart, which reached a cume of $18.9 million after weekend earnings of $2.7 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)