Three new films in top ten, Where the Wild Things Are leads with $11M Friday box office
By Robin Rowe

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 10/17/2009 – Films opening in theaters this weekend, from October 16th, 2009, include Where the Wild Things Are, Citizen and Stepfather.

Where the Wild Things Are was positioned as the big opener this week and is leading the box office. The family adventure stars Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker and James Gandolfini.

“In a way, it’s an action movie starring a nine-year-old,” says director Spike Jonze. “There’s a lot of physical mayhem like dirt clod fights and rampaging in the forest. The island offers up every youngster’s fantasy: the freedom to run and jump and howl, to build and destroy and wrestle and throw things as far as he can. Most of all, to do only the things he wants to do, with no one saying he can’t.”

Warner Bros. put Wild Things on 3,700+ screens. Even though it’s on its way to a $36M opening weekend, it’s a long road to profitability. The heavily promoted film probably has a P&A near $36M. The weekend won’t even cover the advertising costs. Then there’s its estimated $80M budget to recoup.

Law Abiding Citizen. This thriller stars Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler and Viola Davis. Overture Films placed it on 2,800+ screens. It’s on its way toward a $20M weekend. With an estimated budget of $40M, that sounds better, but again there may be $30M in P&A to pay off first for this heavily promoted film.

The Stepfather is a horror/thriller. Sony Screen Gems. Back in the day, Screen Gems was family fair like The Beverly Hillbillies, but now it’s Sony’s horror label. “It’s not quite a horror film,” says The Stepfather star Michael Harding . “It’s more of a psychological thriller. The fun is the simplicity of this story. You see this guy who’s charming and perfect, on the outside. You know from the beginning the guy’s a killer.” On 2,700 screens, it’s headed for a $12M weekend. Another heavily promoted film with lots of advertising cost. Even if the budget is under $20M (nobody’s saying), there’s still the P&A.

New York, I Love You. This romance Vivendi Entertainment came out on 125 screens.

Black Dynamite. Action Comedy starring Michael Jai White and Arsenio Hall is being distributed by Apparition on 70 screens.

Expanding…

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, a comedy that Freestyle Releasing is taking to wide release.

More Than a Game, a documentary from Lionsgate.

Friday Box Office Estimates

1. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Warner Bros. 3,735 $11,940,000

2. LAW ABIDING CITIZEN Overture Films 2,889 $7,700,000

3. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Paramount 760 $6,653,000

4. COUPLES RETREAT Universal 3,009 $5,822,000

5. THE STEPFATHER (2009) Sony / Screen Gems 2,734 $4,300,000

6. ZOMBIELAND Sony / Columbia 3,171 $2,400,000

7. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS Sony / Columbia 3,037 $2,100,000

8. TOY STORY / TOY STORY 2 (3D) Buena Vista 1,467 $825,000

9. THE INVENTION OF LYING Warner Bros.1,624 $605,000

10. SURROGATES Buena Vista 2,326 $585,000

Opening Next Friday, Oct 23, 2009

Amelia. Historical drama starring Hilary Swank, Ewan McGregor and Richard Gere. Fox Searchlight opening wide.

Astro Boy. Animation from Summit Entertainment, opening wide.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Fantasy with John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe and Josh Hutcherson. Universal is opening it wide.

Saw VI. Horror from Lionsgate is opening wide

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D. Re-issue animation from Buena Vista opening wide.

Motherhood. A comedy/drama starring Uma Thurman, Minnie Driver, and Anthony Edwards. Limited release by Freestyle Releasing.

Ong Bak 2. Action film from Magnolia, limited release.

Data Source: Box Office Mojo