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“Jackass” is no fool at the weekend box office

The refined gentlemen of Jackass 3-D fame revived a normally slow weekend at movie theaters. With the help of trendy 3D media, Johnny Knoxville and his motley crew of idiots cracked $50 million. The previous two installments had opening weekends greater than $20 million and finished with greater than $60 million by the close of their releases. However attendance didn’t match the explosive revenue.

Surcharged 3D tickets accounted for 90 percent of the business, a positive selling point for many movie critics leading into the weekend. The gimmick allowed for the trash auteur to break multiple records including highest grossing October release and highest October opening day. The second sequel also gained in appealing to females; a triumph for a gross-out picture.

A flick full of old fogies drew a similar crowd. People over thirty five sank into Red a geriatric assassin story starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren. The opening, although half of the Jackass haul, was actually quite respectable. Stylistically the movie resembled 2008’s Wanted which made $50 million its first weekend. That film had a better release window and younger cast however. As far as old folks with guns, the most recent comparison is The Expendables; it clobbered $34 million in August.

The Social Network is still hanging out. Its total bagged rests at $63 million, enough to pay off its bills. Not true for much of the rest of the chart. Easy A has the greatest profit, making $52 million out a of an $8 million production. In between the two lay one standout- The Town. Ben Affleck’s highly regarded directorial effort is slowly creeping toward $100 million. It currently resides in seventh with $4 million in loot this weekend.

The Top Ten

  1. 1. Jackass 3-D - $50.0M (weekend)…$50.0M (gross)
  2. 2. Red - $22.5M…$22.5M
  3. 3. The Social Network - $11.0M…$63.1M
  4. 4. Secretariat - $9.5M…$27.5M
  5. 5. Life As We Know It - $9.2M…$28.8M
  6. 6. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole - $4.2M…$46.0M
  7. 7. The Town - $4.0M …$80.5M
  8. 8. My Soul To Take - $3.1M…$11.9M
  9. 9. Easy A - $2.6M…$52.3M
    10. 10. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - $2.3M …$47.8M

Some silly little film you’ve never heard of called Paranormal Activity 2 pops into 2900 cinemas on Friday. This is the sequel to the film made popular by demand. The low budget docufilm didn’t even cost $1 million to make yet it scared up nearly $200 million worldwide. Advertising for the film gives little away relaying mostly on the back of the first horror feast. Studios are hoping less is more and lightening strikes twice in the same place.

Hereafter also explores the supernatural, although this is from the point of view of a drama. Matt Damon stars in this soul wrenching story directed by Clint Eastwood. As a director Eastwood never really opens too big. This won’t be an exception. Hereafter debuts in 2200 locations.


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