CinemaNerdz

Weekend Box-Office: Taken 2 Holds Box-Office Captive for Second Week

Seth Paul
Box Office

The critics say Taken 2 is a simplistic rehash, but that has not stopped the movie-going public from making the Liam Neeson-helmed actioner top at the box office for a second week in a row. Its estimated $22.5 million puts the film into a domestic total of $86.8 million, a strong performance not only over its reported $45 million budget, but against almost any film during this quarter…with the exception of Hotel Transylvania. While they may not be the only films to be making net earnings, they are certainly top draws, as Hotel Transylvania’s third week rustled up an estimated $17.3 million, enough to land in fourth and to earn $102.2 million domestically. Sandwiched in between are two films getting positive buzz…Argo, the story of CIA agents using the cover of a fake movie production to rescue diplomats during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979, is certainly making real money at the box office with an estimated $20.1 million. While it has a ways to go to make bank against its $44.5 million budget, Sinister does not. With only a $3 million budget, the horror film came out swinging with an estimated $18.3 million.

Here Comes the Boom debuted in fifth with an estimated $12 million, the film not doing much for critics, but whether the Kevin James comedy about a teacher who enters the MMA fighting circuit remains to be seen whether it will be a success, considering it has a $42 million budget to cover. Meanwhile, Pitch Perfect, Frankenweenie, and Looper do decent return business, Pitch Perfect already a winner at $36.1 million domestic with an estimated $9.3 million this weekend, Frankenweenie struggling at $22 million domestic with an estimated $7 million, and Looper making good with $51.4 million domestic with an estimated $6.3 million. While not burning up the box office like Taken or Hotel Transylvania, only Frankenweenie, like ParaNorman before it, the stop-motion film cannot seem to make up its $39 million production costs, despite good reviews.

The ninthand tenthspots belong to a debut and a new-to-wide-release title. Seven Psychopaths appears to be making good with critics and audiences, but its box office take is less than stellar, the crime-comedy ensemble earning an estimated $4.3 million, a low take even on its relatively scant $15 million budget. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the 1999 novel and produced by John Malkovich, starts its fourth week on what is likely to be a success on its own terms; while it has no available budget numbers, the Summit Entertainment production earned an estimated $2.2 million and $6.2 million domestically.

Weekend Box-Office (October 12th – October 14th)

  1. Taken 2…$22.5 million
  2. Argo…$20.1 million
  3. Sinister…$18.3 million
  4. Hotel Transylvania…$17.3 million
  5. Here Comes the Boom…$12 million
  6. Pitch Perfect…$9.3 million
  7. Frankenweenie…$7 million
  8. Looper…$6.3 million
  9. Seven Psychopaths…$4.3 million
  10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower…$2.2 million

Seth Paul

When not failing to write novels and screenplays, box-office guru Seth writes humorous comedy tracks for films under the name "The One Man Band" that can be found at Rifftrax.com. Although, he has recently succeeded in writing the novella "Jack Alan and the Case of the Not-Exactly Rocket Scientists," available as an eBook on Amazon. He is also the English voice of Zak in "Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space."
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