The Chihuahuas barked away with this weekend’s top spot.
The weekend box office was a lesson in extremes as Disney’s family pic “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” happily yapped its way to $29 million opening on one end and Lionsgate’s irreverent Bill Maher docu “Religulous” got off to an impressive start on the other.
Disney pic, playing in 3,215 runs, scored one of the best openings ever for October.
All told, there were a record seven new wide releases, plus “Religulous,” which only opened on 502 screens. Docu grossed an estimated $3.5 million for a per location average of $6,972, the best of any film on the top 10 chart after “Chihuahua” ($9,020), according to Rentrak.
Sony Pictures Classics’ Anne Hathaway family drama “Rachel Gets Married” also got off to a strong start. Pic scored a per location average of $33,659 in grossing an estimated $302,934 from nine theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.
Overall, the weekend was up roughly 40% over the same weekend last year in a welcomed surge for the film biz.
Among the new wide releases, Sony’s “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” enjoyed the next-best opening after “Chihuahua, grossing an estimated $12 million from 2,421 runs.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” $29 million.
2. “Eagle Eye,” $17.7 million.
3. “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” $12 million.
4. “Nights in Rodanthe,” $7.4 million.
5. “Appaloosa,” $5 million.
6. “Lakeview Terrace,” $4.5 million.
7. “Burn After Reading,” $4.08 million.
8. “Fireproof,” $4.07 million.
9. “An American Carol,” $3.8 million.
10. Religulous, $3.5 million.
[Credit: Variety / Media By Numbers]