Pamela McClintock of THR:
Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty killed the competition at the weekend box office, grossing a better-than-expected $24 million as it expanded nationwide after earning an Academy Award nomination for best picture.
The movie's No. 1 finish is a sizeable victory for Sony and Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures, which continue to battle criticism that Zero Dark Thirty, chronicling the CIA's decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, over-emphasizes the role torture played in tracking down bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty, opening in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 19, has earned a total of $29.5 million.
The critically acclaimed movie scored an A- CinemaScore from audiences. Males made up nearly 60 percent of those buying tickets, while two of the three top-performing theaters were in Washington, D.C., where the film has become a lightning rod.
Zero Dark Thirty, financed and produced by Annapurna, was penned by Mark Boal, who also teamed with Bigelow on the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker.
Heading into the weekend, tracking had suggested that Zero Dark Thirty would end up in a close race with Warner Bros.' period mob pic Gangster Squad, but in a surprise twist Gangster Squad was beaten both by Zero Dark Thirty and horror spoof A Haunted House.
Fueled by African-American moviegoers, Haunted House outpaced expectations to gross a healthy $18.8 million for Open Road Films, IM Global and Endgame Entertainment. The movie, placing No. 2 and starring Marlon Wayans, is a parody of the Paranormal Activity franchise and other found-footage films.
Warner Bros.' Gangster Squad, placing No. 3, grossed a soft $16.7 million after receiving a B+ CinemaScore. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Gangster Squad centers on a special task force formed by the Los Angeles Police Department during the late 1940s to fight mobsters. Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Michael Pena and Emma Stone star.
Zero Dark Thirty was among a handful of films that enjoyed a boost after landing an Oscar nomination for best picture and is easily on course to become Bigelow's top-grossing film to date, besting the $45 million earned domestically by Point Break. The film earned a total of five nominations, including a best picture nod for Jessica Chaistain.
Receiving the top Academy Award nom greatly can improve a film's fortunes if the timing is right, and that's why Sony waited until now to unleash Zero Dark Thirty nationwide.
Among other best picture contenders, the Weinstein Co.'s Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook enjoyed a boost, particularly Silver Linings, which placed No. 10 despite only playing in 800 theaters. Silver Linings was up 38 percent from the previous weekend -- the most of any film -- grossing $5 million for a total $41.3 million. The movie ups its theater count to 2,500 locations next weekend.
Django, coming in No. 4, grossed $11.1 million for a domestic cume of $125.4 million. Universal's best-picture entry Les Miserables fell only 37 percent from the previous weekend, grossing $10.1 million for a total $119.2. Overseas, the musical took in $25.5 million for the weekend from 22 markets for an international cume of $115.1 million and worldwide total of $234.3 million.
Here are the full results for the weekend of Jan. 4-6 at domestic box office (* denotes Oscar best-picture contender).
1. *Zero Dark Thirty, 4/2,937, Sony/Annapurna, $24 million, $29.5 million.
2. A Haunted House, 1/2,160, Open Road Films/IM Global, $18.8 million.
3. Gangster Squad, 1/3,103, Warner Bros., $16.7 million.
4. *Django Unchained, 3/3,012, The Weinstein Co., $11.1 million, $125.4 million.
5. *Les Miserables, 3/2,927, Universal, $10.1 million, $119.2 million.
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 5/3,012, New Line/MGM, $9.1 million, $278.1 million.
7. *Lincoln, 10/2,027, Disney/DreamWorks, $6.3 million, $152.6 million.
8. Parental Guidance, 3/2,957, 20th Century Fox, $6.1 million, $60.7 million.
9. Texas Chainsaw 3D, 2/2,659, Lionsgate, $5.2 million, $30.8 million.
10. *Silver Linings Playbook, 9/810, The Weinstein Co., $5 million, $41.3 million
Next Up: "Dark Thirty" star Jessica Chastain will face feral children and ghosts in Mama; Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to screen to make The Last Stand; And it's Mark Wahlberg vs. Russell Crowe with Catherine Zeta-Jones caught in the middle of a Broken City.
Note: Tonight Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host the 70th annual Golden Globes @ 8PM on NBC. I will have coverage tomorrow....
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