Pamela McClintock of Variety:
Warner Bros.' Leonardo DiCaprio-Russell Crowe starrer "Body of Lies" and Universal's sports drama "The Express" were sacked at the weekend box as moviegoers once again resisted Middle Eastern war pics and sports dramas.
Instead, Disney holdover "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" won the frame with an estimated gross of $17.5 million from 3,218 theaters in its soph sesh, while Sony's horror title "Quarantine" came from behind to place No. 2 in grossing an estimated $14.2 million from 2,461 runs, according to Rentrak.
"Chihuahua" took the weekend crown for the second weekend in a row, declining only 40%.
The big-budget "Body of Lies," directed by Ridley Scott, grossed an estimated $13.1 million from 2,710 locations to come in a disappointing No. 3. Many thought the pic, about the CIA's war on terrorism, would win the sesh based on its star power alone.
U's "Express," about the first African-American college football player to win the Heisman Trophy, only grossed an estimated $4.7 million from 2,808 runs, putting it an No. 6.
The other new opener, Fox-Walden's family pic "City of Ember," went into the weekend with low expectations. Pic came in No. 10 in grossing an estimated $3.2 million from 2,022 locations.
While tracking was correct for "Ember," it was wrong for "Body of Lies" and "Express," leaving their respective studios scratching their heads. The problem for Warners is that "Body of Lies" cost far more than the other new titles. The competish puts the production budget for "Body" north of $100 million, while Warner insiders say it was under $100 million.
"Express" cost $38 million to produce; "Quarantine," $12 million.
Elsewhere at the box office, specialty film "The Duchess" landed on the top 10 chart as it aggressively expanded from 127 theaters to 1,207, grossing an estimated $3.32 million in its fourth frame to place No. 9. Pic's cume is $5.6 million.
Warner Bros./New Line's "Appaloosa," which also began in a limited run, stayed on the top 10 chart for the second weekend in a row. The Western declined to an estimated $3.34 million from 1,290 theaters for a cume of $10.9 million in its fourth frame. Film placed No. 8.
Coming in No. 4, DreamWorks/Paramount's thriller-actioner "Eagle Eye" fell only 38% in its third frame to an estimated $11 million from 3,614 for a cume of $70.4 million.
Sony's "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" came in No. 5 in its second frame, declining 43% to an estimated $6.5 million from 2,421 for a cume of $20.8 million.
Warner Bros. holdover "Nights in Rodanthe" also continued to hold well, declining 37% in its third frame to an estimated $4.6 million from 2,575 runs for a cume of $32.4 million. Romantic drama placed No. 7...
Joshua Rich of EW:
As ''Body of Lies'' got sent to the box office dog house, ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' repeated as best in show...
Just proves once again that even big stars and a first rate director do not always guarantee a home run...Think Righteous Kill from last month.
Body of Lies are well reached story and definitely a movie to watch
ReplyDeleteterror has been very much define and cool story it was
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