Box Office: 'Final Destination' rules with $28M

Weekend of August 28 – 30, 2009: Bloody freak accidents beat Michael Myers killings

New Line Cinema’s “The Final Destination” slashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend 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 film is currently playing in 3D and standard format.

Last week’s winner “Inglourious Basterds” slipped to No. 2 this weekend, fending off Rob Zombie’s new entry “Halloween II,” which only made it to third place with a three-day gross of $17.4 million.

Zombie’s horror sequel brought in almost $10 million less than its 2007 predecessor, scoring an average of $5,754 per theater at 3,025 locations. In the film, Michael Myers returns to town to do what he does best: kill people.

Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino’s “Basterds” 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.

Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock,” the weekend’s third wide release, finished at No. 9 with only $3.7 million from ticket sales at 1,393 locations. Starring Demetri Martin, the film takes a closer 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’ “Julie & Julia” slipped to sixth place this weekend, pulling another $7.4 million for a cumulative gross of $70.9 million. At No. 7, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” brought home $6.7 million for a total haul of $48.1 million.

At the bottom of the top 10, Robert Rodriguez’s family adventure “Shorts” picked up $4.8 million, lifting its domestic total to $13.5 million after one week in release. “G-Force” bagged $2.8 million ($111.8 million total), enough for No. 10.  

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