Box Office: 'Wild Things' triumphs with $32M

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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Box Office: 'Couples Retreat' easily wins the race

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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'Couples Retreat' lands at top of box office Friday

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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The best movie weekend of 2009 so far?

In terms of quality of the overall new releases this past weekend, I think it's fair to say that it's been one of the best movie weekends of the year so far, and I say that because I really enjoyed all the films I saw.

Now, don't get me wrong. Looking at the new releases of Oct. 2, 2009 individually, I wouldn't qualify any of them as one of the year's best, but taken together, they offered me a great time at the theater this weekend.

Sure, I've seen quite a few fantastic films so far this year, but most of them were accompanied by at least one mediocre or really sucky film during their opening weekend. Not so this weekend!

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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.

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'Zombieland' rules Friday box office with $9.4M

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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Movie Review: “Zombieland”

Seen on: October 2, 2009

The players: Director: Ruben Fleischer, Writers: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard

Facts of interest: Fleischer said he found his inspiration for this in "Shaun of the Dead."

The plot: A group of humans travel across the country trying to survive the zombie mayhem surrounding them.

Our thoughts: Do yourself a favor and buy a ticket to “Zombieland.” I promise you won’t regret it, because Ruben Fleischer’s fast-paced comedy boasts big laughs, highly entertaining zombie action, and a bunch of superb performances guaranteeing 80 minutes of simple, yet compelling big-screen fun. Yeah to that!

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This week's new movie releases - October 2, 2009

Opening this week are Ricky Gervais' "The Invention of Lying" with Jennifer Garner; "Whip It" with Ellen Page; "Zombieland" with Woody Harrelson; and Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story."

ZOMBIELAND (with Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg)

Synopsis: "Zombieland" focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss - but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive.

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Watch six hilarious 'Zombieland' clips

Ruben Fleischer's upcoming horror comedy "Zombieland" opens Oct. 9, 2009, and it's one of the films I'm looking forward to the most this fall. Six new film clips are now online, so check them out after the jump.

In the film, a group of survivors team up to fight the zombies after a nasty plague ravages through America. These clips give you a good first impression of who these folks are and what methods they use to stay alive.

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Five best trailers for fall 2009 movies

As we launch into the fall movie season, I figured it would be a great time to look at some trailers that blew my mind recently. Here are the top five trailers for movies still to open this year. Please be advised I picked these based solely on the quality of the trailers and the trailers only.

HERE ARE MY FAVORITE TRAILERS FOR UPCOMING '09 FILMS

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