Weekend of September 4 – 6, 2009: ‘Final Destination’ beats new films at slow b.o.

“The Final Destination” held on to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend with $12.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

New Line Cinema’s David R. Ellis-directed horror sequel scored an average of $3,984 per theater at 3,121 locations, bringing its domestic total to $47.5 million after a little more than one week in release.

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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.

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Sure, opening weekend grosses are important and indicative of a movie's overall performance, but those daily grosses during the week can quickly add up. Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," for instance, collected $12.3 million between Monday and Wednesday, lifting its total gross to $50.5 million.

"Basterds" picked up $4.6 million Monday, followed by a daily gross of $4.2 million Tuesday. Wednesday was a slower day, as the film pulled in only $3.5 million. The R-rated WWII flick will face some serious competition this weekend from "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination."

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Weekend of August 21 – 23, 2009: The 'Basterds' rule them all...

Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” stormed the North American box office and secured the No. 1 spot this weekend with an estimated $37.6 million in ticket sales, the biggest opening for a Tarantino film.

“Basterds” opened at 3,165 locations, scoring a solid average of $11,881 per theater. In the R-rated WWII drama, Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, who assembles a gang of Jewish soldiers making it their mission to kill every Nazi they encounter on their way to Paris.

At No. 2, Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi action thriller “District 9” delivered another strong performance, bagging $18.9 million for a domestic total of $73.4 million after only a little more than one week in release.

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Weekend of August 14 – 16, 2009: Alien spectacle defeats time travel romance

Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi action spectacle “District 9” flew past its competition to the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with $37 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Pulling strong reviews, the Peter Jackson-produced film scored a solid average of $12,135 per theater at 3,049 locations. “District 9” is set in a world where unwelcomed aliens are living as refugees in slump-like conditions on Earth.

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The badass marketing campaign and awesome reviews for "District 9" really worked, because Neill Blomkamp's excellent sci-fi thriller landed at the top spot at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $14.2 million. That's not a bad launch for the film.

Playing at 3,049 locations, "District 9" is set in a world where aliens are living as refugees on Earth in slump-like conditions. The Peter Jackson-produced action film doesn't have any big names attached to it, but glorious reviews and a lot of buzz gave it the necessary boost to storm the box office.

Also opening this weekend is Robert Schwentke's romance "The Time Traveler's Wife," which debuted at No. 2 Friday with a daily gross of $7.7 million. Starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, the film follows a man who involuntarily travels through time and tries to maintain a romantic relationship with a woman.

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Weekend of August 7 – 9, 2009: “G.I. Joe” rises as “Funny People” falls

Paramount’s summer action spectacle “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” raced to the top of the North American box office this weekend with a solid $56.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Stephen Sommers and based on the popular Hasbro action figure, the film starring Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Marlon Wayans and Sienna Miller scored an average of $14,025 per theater at 4,007 locations.

Debuting in second place with $20.1 million was Nora Ephron’s comedy “Julie & Julia,” which stars Meryl Streep and Amy Adams as two women whose passions for cooking guide them to new happiness.

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Stephen Sommers' action film "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" stormed to the top of the North American box office Friday with a solid $22.3 million in ticket sales.

The film based on the popular Hasbro action figure opened at 4,007 locations, scoring an average of $5,565 per theater. The action-packed spectacle follows a unit of soliders tracking down a ruthless weapons manufacturer planning to take over the world.

At No. 2, Nora Ephron's comedy "Julie & Julia" finished with a daily gross of $6.5 million at 2,354 locations. Based on two true stories, the film starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams follows two women whose passions for cooking guide them to new happiness.

This weekend's third new entry, "A Perfect Getaway," only made it to No. 7, earning $2.1 million from ticket sales at 2,159 locations. The thriller with Milla Jovovich follows a bunch of couples encountering their worst nightmare on a Hawaiian vacation.

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