Thriller ‘Taken 2’ grabs movie box office crown
Liam Neeson thriller “Taken 2” captured the No. 1 spot on movie box office charts over the weekend with a brawny USD 50 million take from theaters in the United States and Canada.
U.S. and Canada Box Office- Weekend of Oct. 05, 2012 -Oct. 07, 2012
| This Wk | Last Wk | Title | Distributor | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Gross | Wks Out | # of Theaters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 © 2010 Baseline, All rights reserved. |
|||||||
| 1 | Taken 2 | 20th Century Fox Distribution | $49,514,800 | $49,514,800 | 1 | 3661 | |
| 2 | 1 | Hotel Transylvania | Sony Pictures Releasing | $27,053,400 | $76,711,900 | 2 | 3352 |
| 3 | 6 | Pitch Perfect | Universal Pictures | $14,846,800 | $21,693,000 | 2 | 2770 |
| 4 | 2 | Looper | TriStar Pictures & Columbia Pictures & FilmDistrict & Sony Pictures Releasing | $12,116,000 | $40,216,700 | 2 | 2993 |
| 5 | Frankenweenie | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $11,412,200 | $11,412,200 | 1 | 3005 | |
| 6 | 3 | End of Watch | Open Road Films | $4,004,070 | $32,850,000 | 3 | 2370 |
| 7 | 4 | Trouble with the Curve | Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution | $3,829,150 | $29,669,000 | 3 | 3003 |
| 8 | 5 | House At the End of the Street | Relativity Media & Relativity Media Distribution Group | $3,756,020 | $27,589,200 | 3 | 2720 |
| 9 | 9 | The Master | The Weinstein Company | $1,861,700 | $12,337,000 | 4 | 864 |
| 10 | 7 | Finding Nemo | Walt Disney Studios Distribution & Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $1,624,540 | $39,039,000 | 4 | 1746 |
| 11 | 13 | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Lionsgate & Summit Entertainment, LLC | $1,566,530 | $3,348,860 | 3 | 221 |
| 12 | 8 | Resident Evil: Retribution | Screen Gems & Sony Pictures Releasing | $1,158,070 | $41,008,800 | 4 | 1361 |
| 13 | 10 | Won’t Back Down | 20th Century Fox & 20th Century Fox Distribution | $1,016,160 | $4,483,670 | 2 | 2517 |
| 14 | English Vinglish | $745,414 | $745,414 | 1 | 88 | ||
| 15 | 16 | The Dark Knight Rises | Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution | $674,436 | $445,370,000 | 12 | 575 |
| 16 | 11 | Dredd 3D | Lionsgate | $645,241 | $12,695,700 | 3 | 831 |
| 17 | 14 | Arbitrage | Roadside Attractions & Lionsgate | $641,365 | $6,053,620 | 4 | 244 |
| 18 | 12 | The Possession | Lionsgate | $623,500 | $48,391,400 | 6 | 821 |
| 19 | 17 | The Bourne Legacy | Universal Pictures | $344,630 | $112,275,000 | 9 | 482 |
| 20 | 15 | Lawless | The Weinstein Company | $326,661 | $37,001,500 | 6 | 611 |
| 21 | 24 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | 20th Century Fox Distribution | $300,232 | $159,473,000 | 13 | 300 |
| 22 | 19 | The Odd Life of Timothy Green | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $270,781 | $50,199,900 | 8 | 534 |
| 23 | 18 | ParaNorman | Focus Features | $235,671 | $54,354,300 | 8 | 342 |
| 24 | 22 | Hope Springs | Sony Pictures Releasing & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) | $213,355 | $63,327,300 | 9 | 439 |
| 25 | The Oranges | ATO Pictures | $198,461 | $198,461 | 1 | 110 | |
| 26 | 28 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | 20th Century Fox Distribution | $177,072 | $48,252,600 | 10 | 257 |
| 27 | 21 | The Campaign | Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution | $175,836 | $86,265,400 | 9 | 303 |
| 28 | 23 | 2016 Obama’s America | Rocky Mountain Pictures | $173,495 | $33,349,900 | 13 | 249 |
| 29 | 20 | The Expendables 2 | Lionsgate | $167,624 | $84,370,400 | 8 | 313 |
| 30 | 25 | Barfi! | UTV Motion Pictures | $163,237 | $2,692,160 | 4 | 110 |
“Taken 2” stars Neeson as a former CIA agent kidnapped during a vacation in Istanbul. The movie added USD 55 million from some 50 international markets for a global opening of USD 117 million including Korea where it opened earlier, distributor 20th Century Fox said.
The strong debut for “Taken 2” pushed last weekend’s winner, family flick “Hotel Transylvania,” to second place. The movie about a hotel run by Dracula earned USD 26.3 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters. Comedy “Pitch Perfect” snagged the No. 3 slot with USD 14.7 million.
North American (US and Canadian) sales for “Taken 2” were more than double t he original film’s, which opened in January 2009 with USD 24.7 million and ultimately grossed a surprising USD 227 million around the world. The movie lifted Neeson to the ranks of Hollywood action stars, leading to roles in movies such as “Clash of the Titans” and “The Grey.” “This so exceeded our expectations going in,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox, noting that Fox had anticipated something “in the mid-30s range” after what he called a “sluggish market” since the summer.
“The come in at USD 50 million is really remarkable, and a testament to this character that Liam has created,” Aronson told Reuters.
The executive noted that the audience was almost evenly split male-female, and also played strongly across age groups, with more than half over the age of 25. Fox co-financed the film with Europa Corp, the company run by “Taken” writer and director Luc Besson, and contributed USD 36 million to its budget, Aronson said. Reports have put the total budget at about USD 50 million.
“Hotel Transylvania” won the weekend battle for pre-Halloween family filmgoers, leaving new Walt Disney Co movie “Frankenweenie” in fifth place. Through two weekends, “Transylvania” has grossed USD 76 million in the domestic market.
“Pitch Perfect,” about a college all-girls singing group moved up the charts as it expanded nationwide following an impressive limited opening last weekend. The movie stars Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow.
“There’s a lot to be said about this little engine that could,” said Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution for Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp , noting that the film only cost USD 17 million.
“It’s on the road to very nice profitability for Universal,” she said, adding that the studio expected “word of mouth, which we know is great” would help the film develop legs beyond its core, targeted audience, which, Rocco said, “loves it.”
Rounding out the charts, time-travel movie “Looper” earned fourth place with USD 12.2 million domestically. Sales for the movie starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt reached USD 40.3 million for the two-week run.
Disney’s “Frankenweenie” grossed USD 11.5 million at domestic theaters. The black-and-white stop-motion film directed by Tim Burton tells the story of a boy who brings his beloved dog back to life using Frankenstein-like science. The movie cost USD 39 million to produce.
News Corp’s 20th Century Fox studio distributed “Taken 2.” Sony Corp’s film studio released “Hotel Transylvania” and “Looper.” “Pitch Perfect” was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp .