Temperatures plunged this weekend -- but enough about the box-office heat foreseen for this week's new openings and even a few holdovers. Grab a snow shovel and let's get to digging ourselves out of the icy trap also known as Weekend Receipts.
1. Puss in Boots
Gross: $33,000,000 (new)
Screens: 3,952 (PSA $8,350)
Weeks: 1
Much fuss has been made about the imposition of this weekend's stunningly early Nor'easter on the East Coast box office. And while the storm may be somewhat to blame for Puss in Boots's soft opening, it might also be attributable to DreamWorks Animation's overestimation of public interest in a Shrek spinoff. Like, either give us Shrek or give us something new! Plus -- it's October! Well-done as it is, this inbetween-y swashbuckling cat stuff was never going to do blockbuster summer numbers. Just take your eventual $200 million global haul, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and let's move on with our lives.
2. Paranormal Activity 3
Gross: $19,000,000 ($81,500,000)
Screens: 3,329 (PSA $5,707)
Weeks: 2 (Change: -64%)
Everyone knew the slide was coming, but a 64 percent drop? On Halloween weekend? Scary indeed.
3. In Time
Gross: $12,000,000 (new)
Screens: 3,001 (PSA $3,998)
Weeks: 1
How much slack do we give leading man Justin Timberlake? Friends With Benefits performed well on a modest romantic comedy budget; this one fell on its face on a little bulkier sci-fi/action budget. Is he cut out for anything but the funny stuff? Should he just go back to music and fill in on the supporting side in the Bad Teachers and Social Network of the world? No one would argue against his talent, but it might be worth asking him to stick to what he's best at -- whatever that is. Anyone?
4. Footloose
Gross: $5,500,000 ($38,500,000)
Screens: 3,224 (PSA $1,705)
Weeks: 3 (Change: -50%)
5. The Rum Diary
Gross: $5,000,000 (new)
Screens: 2,272 (PSA $2,200)
Weeks: 1
The booze-soaked, Hunter Thompson-inspired escapades of Johnny Depp's Puerto Rican sojourn couldn't muster the audience to overtake a three-week old remake that previewed for what seemed like months ahead of its actual release. Maybe Depp is the leading man we should be worried about? I mean, this didn't need to do Tourist money or anything, but $5 million? Oy. Anyway, that happened.
[Figures via Deadline]
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