An alien district, that is. District 9, the coolest sci-fi thriller to come around in awhile, easily took the box office this weekend with $37 million. Not a ton but enough to win.
Here’s the top five at the box office:
1. NEW! District 9 (Sony) – $37 mil; 3,049 theaters; $12,135 PT
2. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Paramount) – $22.5 mil; 4,007 theaters; $5,615 PT; $98.7 mil cume
3. NEW! The Time Traveler’s Wife (Warner Bros.) – $19.2 mil; 2,988 theaters; $6,427 PT
4. Julie & Julia (Sony) – $12.4 mil; 2,354 theaters; $5,268 PT: $43.6 mil cume
5. G-Force (Buena Vista) – $6.9 mil; 3,065 theaters; $2,254 PT; $99 mil cume
The Time Traveler’s Wife opened respectively in third place, while the Japanimated Ponyo opened in ninth with $3.5 million. The only major disappointment this weekend was Bandslam, which failed to open in the top 10. That’s a shame because it’s actually not a bad little teen flick. I suppose Vanessa Hudgens’ name may have turned some off, thinking it was another High School Musical, not to mention the HSM-esque marketing for it. But don’t necessarily pass this one by if you’ve got a tween in the house; it’s got spunk and creativity – plus, a new trailer for New Moon beforehand.
This coming weekend is another full slate, starting with Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt. There’s also Robert Rodriguez’s return to kid flicks with Shorts; Post Grad, a rom-com about post-graduation blues, starring Alexis Bledel; and finally a Disney documentary X Games 3-D: The Movie, which I’m assuming is about extreme sports. Fun. I’m betting on the Basterds to win by a mile.