With Halloween Upon Us …
… movie lovers flocked to see “Paranormal Activity 3” over the weekend. The movie opened strong, helping to drive a more than 43 percent increase in box office receipts over last weekend.
Via BoxOfficeMojo, here’s the weekend by the numbers:
| TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count / Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
| 1 | N | Paranormal Activity 3 | Par. | $54,020,000 | - | 3,321 | - | $16,266 | $54,020,000 | $5 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Real Steel | BV | $11,319,000 | -30.5% | 3,412 | -28 | $3,317 | $67,226,640 | - | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Footloose (2011) | Par. | $10,850,000 | -30.3% | 3,555 | +6 | $3,052 | $30,863,031 | $24 | 2 |
| 4 | N | The Three Musketeers (2011) | Sum. | $8,800,000 | - | 3,017 | - | $2,917 | $8,800,000 | - | 1 |
| 5 | 4 | The Ides of March | Sony | $4,900,000 | -31.1% | 2,042 | -157 | $2,400 | $29,159,326 | - | 3 |
| 6 | 5 | Dolphin Tale | WB | $4,200,000 | -32.6% | 2,858 | -428 | $1,470 | $64,390,675 | $37 | 5 |
| 7 | 6 | Moneyball | Sony | $4,050,000 | -25.8% | 2,353 | -487 | $1,721 | $63,708,894 | $50 | 5 |
| 8 | N | Johnny English Reborn | Uni. | $3,800,000 | - | 1,552 | - | $2,448 | $3,800,000 | $45 | 1 |
| 9 | 3 | The Thing (2011) | Uni. | $3,115,000 | -63.3% | 2,995 | -1 | $1,040 | $14,100,000 | - | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | 50/50 | Sum. | $2,800,000 | -34.3% | 1,932 | -459 | $1,449 | $28,800,000 | $8 | 4 |
| 11 | 8 | Courageous | TriS | $2,500,000 | -24.4% | 1,195 | -19 | $2,092 | $24,981,166 | $2 | 4 |
| - | 10 | The Lion King (in 3D) | BV | $1,242,000 | -55.5% | 1,091 | -879 | $1,138 | $92,596,300 | - | 6 |
The second movie hasn’t even hit theaters, and via Empire, we learn that Warners is already plotting a third installment to its successful “Sherlock Holmes” franchise. One of the most gratifying things about the last few years is the mid-career flowering of star Robert Downey Jr.
Here’s the nut graf:
“It’s a sign of confidence in the continuing appeal of Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law and Guy Ritchie’s take on the world of Sherlock Holmes: Warner Bros. has hired writer Drew Pearce to start cranking out ideas for a third outing for the titular ‘tec.
Though the second film, subtitled A Game Of Thrones Shadows, isn’t set to hit cinemas for a couple of months, the buzz is apparently very positive, which is one reason why the studio might be eager to get cracking on another film. And anyway, hiring a writer isn’t quire as big a commitment as making any other deals, so it’s an easy step to take.”
Read the full story here.
