Weekend of October 16 – 17, 2009: New releases help boost box office performance

Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are” easily defeated its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a solid $32.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved book scored a strong average of $8,693 per theater at 3,735 locations. Starring Max Records, the film follows a lonely boy who bonds with a bunch of wild creatures in his imagination.

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Weekend of October 9 – 11, 2009: 'Couples Retreat' wins; 'Paranormal Activity' delivers!

Universal’s comedy “Couples Retreat” safely landed at the top of the North American box office this weekend with a solid $35.3 million in ticket sales at 3,000 locations, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Jason Bateman, the film follows four couples traveling to a prestigious tropical island resort where they’re forced to partake in numerous couple therapy sessions.

Also breaking into the top 10 this weekend was “Paranormal Activity,” which expanded to 159 locations and took the No. 5 spot with a superb $7 million. The film’s early total gross currently stands at $8.2 million.

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New release "Couples Retreat" easily topped the North American box office Friday with a solid $12.3 million in ticket sales at 3,000 locations. That's a nice start for the comedy starring Vince Vaughn.

Also starring Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis, the film follows four couples who travel to a presitigious tropical island resort where they're forced to partake in a series of therapy sessions.

Delivering the most surprising result Friday was Paramount's horror hit "Paranormal Activity," which bagged an incredible $2.5 million from ticket sales at only 159 locations, enough for the No. 4 spot.

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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.

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Ruben Fleischer's hilarious horror comedy "Zombieland" delivered a superb start at the North American box office Friday, grossing $9.4 million from ticket sales at 3,036 locations. That's a solid performance indeed.

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. I absolutely enjoyed it, and I'm glad it's doing this well.

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Weekend of September 25 – 27, 2009: 'Meatballs' reigns as new releases struggle

Sony Pictures Animation’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with a decent $24.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Scoring an average of $7,887 per theater at 3,119 locations, the animated adventure brought its domestic total to $60 million after a little more than one week in release. The film is playing in both 3D and standard format.

At No. 2, Jonathan Mostow’s “Surrogates” debuted with $15 million via an average of $5,083 per theater at 2,951 locations. In the film, Bruce Willis plays a cop investigating a murder in a world in which humans use surrogates to complete everyday tasks.

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Sony Pictures Animation's 3D adventure "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" delivered yet another strong performance at the top of the North American box office Friday with an estimated $5.6 million in ticket sales, lifting its domestic total gross to $41 million after a superb one-week run.

At No. 2, Bruce Willis' new sci-fi action flick "Surrogates" debuted with $5.1 million. The Jonathan Mostow-directed film is set in a world in which humans use surrogates to complete everyday tasks. Willis plays an FBI agent who investigates the first homicide in years.

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