Box Office: 'Zombieland' destroys competition

Weekend of October 2 – 4, 2009: The zombies rule them all!

Ruben Fleischer’s excellent horror comedy “Zombieland” stormed the North American box office and slashed 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, the film 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 this weekend 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 this weekend. 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 Senate’s decision to approve a gigantic bailout.

Meanwhile, “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,” which reached a cume of $18.9 million after weekend earnings of $2.7 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)