Comedies rule again as the ensemble laffer Couples Retreat opened on top at the box office this weekend, taking in $35 million.
Here are the top five this weekend:
1. NEW! Couples Retreat (Universal) – $35.3 mil; 3,000 theaters; $11,780 PT
2. Zombieland (Sony) – $15 mil; 3,038 theaters; $4,937 PT; $47.8 mil cume
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony) – $12 mil; 2,992 theaters; $4,011 PT; $96.2 mil cume
4. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3D) (Buena Vista) – $7.6 mil; 1,752 theaters; $4,380 PT; $22.6 mil cume
5. Paranormal Activity (Paramount) – $7 mil; 160 theaters; $44,163 PT; $8.2 mil cume
The real success story this week is Paranormal Activity. Shot for only $11,000, this Blair Witch Project-esque creepy thriller – about a couple who videotape the terrifying weirdness that goes on around them when they are asleep – has been generating that good old word-o-mouth, viral feeling. Since its festival run in 2007 and 2008, it even gained the attention of Steven Spielberg, who picked up the film intending to remake it as a star vehicle but deciding to let it stand as is. Spielberg did add one touch: He helped the filmmaker Oren Peli rework the ending to make it even scarier. I can’t wait to see this one.
As for this coming weekend, we’ve got the actioner Law Abiding Citizen, starring Jamie Foxx and Gerald Butler, the thriller remake The Stepfather and, of course, Where the Wild Things Are, which I predict will win because of its nostalgic nature, reminding us all of our childhoods. Here’s the trailer: