14 DAY TRIAL // Though received with mixed feelings even by the horror-loving audience, Eli Roth’s “The Last Exorcism” managed to win the top spot at the US box office over the weekend, ahead of heist flick “Takers.”
Throughout the entire weekend, starting with their premiere on Friday night, both films battled for the number one position with audiences, with “Last Exorcism” finally coming out as a winner, though not by much.
Estimate figures indicated on Saturday that “Takers,” another newcomer carrying more star power and definitely more appeal, would come out on top, but things turned out differently in the end, MTV News says.
“Last Exorcism” won the top spot by a difference of a mere $300,000, grossing $21.3 million. Even so, it’s still a bigger hit than “Takers,” analysts say, for the simple reason that it cost less to make, promote and distribute.
“Holding steady in third place is the explosive, ensemble action romp ‘The Expendables.’ After ruling the box office for two weeks, the macho flick couldn’t fend off the sturdy theater draw of new releases ‘Exorcism’ and ‘Takers,’ and raked in $9.5 million,” MTV informs.
“‘Eat Pray Love’ and ‘The Other Guys’ round out the top five. Theatergoers are still falling for the tropical romance and midlife introspection of the Ryan Murphy-directed ‘Love’ which made $7 million over the weekend,” the same media outlet says.
“Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg continue to rake in laughs as a mismatched cop duo in ‘The Other Guys,’ which scored $6.6 million at the box office,” adds MTV.
At number six, we find a vampire-related movie, “Vampires Suck,” the parody to the all too popular “The Twilight Saga” films, which made another $5.3 million.
Chris Nolan’s “Inception” holds strong for a position in the top 10, making another $5.1 million and proving that it is truly this summer’s biggest release.
“Nanny McPhee Returns” grossed $4.7 million, Jennifer Aniston’s “The Switch” $4.6 million, while “Piranha 3D” also made $4.3 million, thus rounding up the top 10 at the North American box office over the weekend.
While chances are that “Last Exorcism” soon drops out of the top 10, it can still be considered a hit for the studio given it was really inexpensive to make and push, the Los Angeles Times says.
“Lionsgate paid less than $1 million for domestic distribution rights to ‘Last Exorcism,’ which was independently produced on a 23-day schedule in New Orleans for $1.5 million. Even with marketing costs, it’s a big win for the studio and the movie’s financiers, who will share the profits,” says the publication.
Actually, even the simple fact that it got a theatrical release counts as a major win for the people behind it – and they’re not too shy to say so.