box office
YOUR HEARTFELT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Lost in the Grammys/Whitney shuffle—by us, at least—was a robust pre-Valentine’s weekend at the nation’s cineplexes, led, fittingly enough, by the debuting rom-dram The Vow, starring Rachel McAdams and Saturday’s SNL host Channing Tatum, which took in $41.2 million. Denzel Washington showed he can still open an action flick, as Safe House was a close second with $40.2 million. Playing to the kiddie demo, Dwayne Johnson (ne The Rock) did good business, as Journey 2: The Mysterious Island debuted with $27.3 million, while the 3D version of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" came in at #4 with $22.5 million. Here are the stats on the Top 10, according to Hollywood.com:
1. The Vow, Sony Screen Gems, $41,202,458, 2,958 screens, $13,929 average, $41,202,458, debut.
2. Safe House, Universal, $40,172,720, 3,119 screens, $12,880 average, $40,172,720, debut.
3. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Warner Bros., $27,335,363, 3,470 screens, $7,878 average, $27,335,363, debut.
4. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Fox, $22,469,932, 2,655 screens, $8,463 average, $22,469,932, debut.
5. Chronicle, Fox, $12,092,589, 2,908 screens, $4,158 average, $39,959,856, second week.
6. The Woman in Black, CBS, $10,102,658, 2,856 screens, $3,537 average, $35,258,145, second week.
7. The Grey, Open Road, $5,045,620, 2,801 screens, $1,801 average, $42,787,884, third week.
8. Big Miracle, Universal, $3,946,050, 2,133 screens, $1,850 average, $13,281,985, second week.
9. The Descendants, Fox Searchlight, $3,441,676, 1,582 screens, $2,176 average, $70,671,289, 13th week.
10. Underworld Awakening, Sony Screen Gems, $2,480,156, 1,657 screens, $1,497 average, $58,914,525, fourth week.
Interestingly, The Descendants is the only Oscar-nominated movie doing solid numbers two weeks before the telecast, but it’s being shown in more theaters than The Artist (#13, $2,240,252, 808 screens) or Hugo (#14, $1,765,205, 702 screens). All three are in the same ballpark in terms of per-screen average. (2/14a)
