Pamela McClintock of THR:
Once again proving the power of older moviegoers, Alfonso Cuaron's 3D space epic Gravity debuted to a record-breaking $55.6 million in North America, the top October of all time and the best three-day showing for stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.
Overseas, Gravity also won the weekend with a solid $27.4 million from 27 markets for a worldwide total of $83 million.
Gravity's launch caps a substantial production and marketing effort by Warner Bros., and years of work on Cuaron's part. The $100 million movie -- doing huge business in 3D cinemas -- appears destined to become a player in this year's awards race, based on critical reaction and box office returns.
Running only 90 minutes, Gravity received an A- CinemaScore, skewed male (54 percent). Adults over the age of 25 made up more than 82 percent of the audience, while nearly 60 percent was over the age of 35. This was evidenced by a sizeable 31 percent jump on Saturday, when more adults become available.
"In two days, this movie has become a cultural phenomenon. People that haven't gone to the movies in years, or who only see one or two movies a year, are going to see Gravity," says Warners domestic distribution chief Dan Fellman. At the same time, he expects the film to play younger and younger.
Gravity revolves around two astronauts left floating in space when their space shuttle is damaged (Bullock has a far bigger role). Producers include David Heyman, who played a key role in Warners' Harry Potter franchise. Heyman and Cuaron, who directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, brought the project to Warners after Universal put it into turnaround.
All told, 80 percent of Gravity's opening-weekend revenue came from 3D screens. It's a needed boost, considering the dramatic decline in 3D attendance. It's one of the highest 3D splits of all time (Avatar's 3D share on opening weekend was 72 percent, while Life of Pi's was 68 percent). Internationally, the 3D share was 70 percent.
Imax theaters generated a hearty $11.2 million in North America, or 20 percent of the total take, representing the top October showing of all time for the large-format cinema chain, as well as the No. 9 opening of all time.
Paranormal Activity 3 was the previous record-holder for top October opening ($52.6 million), followed by Jackass 3-D ($50.4 million), Taken 2 ($49.5 million) and Scary Movie 3 ($48.1 million). Bullock's previous best was The Heat ($39.1 million); Clooney's record was Batman & Robin ($42.9 million).
The only other new wide player this weekend was New Regency and 20th Century Fox's gambling thriller Runner Runner, starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck. Runner Runner quickly folded, taking in only $7.6 million. The saving grace is the film's reported $30 million budget.
Adding intrigue to the weekend, Sony held sneaks of Paul Greengrass' Somali pirate drama Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks, into 800 theaters on Saturday night a week ahead of its opening. Sony said there were sell-out crowds in cities including Los Angeles, New York and Los Angeles, but that the screenings were 75 percent full on average.
Runner Runner was directed by Brad Furman and also stars Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie. New Regency, which fully financed the film, partnered with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way on the project.
From a script by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Rounders), Runner Runner revolves around a Princeton University student (Timberlake) who is lured into an Internet poker scam by the owner of a popular gambling website (Affleck).
Runner Runner placed No. 3 after Gravity and Sony holdover Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, which grossed a pleasing $21.5 in its second weekend for a North American total of $60.6 million.
Alcon Entertainment and Warners' Prisoners continued to thrive in its third weekend, placing No. 4 with $7.6 million and pushing the film's domestic total to $55.6 million.
Ron Howard's Rush fell to No. 5 in its second, tumbling 56 percent to $4.4 million for a North American total of $18.3 million. The Formula One drama, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl, is making up ground overseas, where it has already earned north of $30 million.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut Don Jon likewise saw a substantial decline in its second outing, falling 54 percent to $4.2 million for domestic total of $15.2 million.
Among more limited offerings, Pantelion Films -- the joint-venture between Lionsgate and Grupo Televisa -- entered the market with another Spanish-language film on the heels of the success of Instructions Not Included.
Romantic comedy Pulling Strings, starring Mexican celebrity Jamie Camil, placed No. 9 with $2.5 million. That's well less than the $7.8 million opening of Instructions Not Included at the end of August, but with Gravity sucking up much of the oxygen, it's still a solid start. Pulling Strings is also facing competition from Instructions Not Included, which is expected to earn a pleasing $1.9 million for the weekend, bringing its North American total of $41.3 million.
Pulling Strings, set in Mexico City, stars Camil has a mariachi who falls for an American embassy employee (Laura Ramsay).
Nicole Holofcener's Enough Said, starring the late James Gandolfini opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus, cracked the top 10 chart as it expanded into a total of 437 theaters in its third weekend, grossing $2.2 million for Fox Searchlight. The film's domestic total is now $5.4 million.
Next Up: Tom Hanks is Captain Phillips in the biopic; Danny Trejo returns in Machete Kills; Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth star in the latest film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet;
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