Weekend Box Office
1) Marley & Me $37 million
2) Bedtime Stories $28 million
3) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button $27 million
4) Valkyrie $21.5 million
5) Yes Man $16.4 million
6) Seven Pounds $13.4 million
7) The Tale of Despereaux $9.3 million
8) The Day the Earth Stood Still $7.9 million
9) The Spirit $6.5 million
10) Doubt $5.6 million
For the first time this year, four brand new titles held court at the top of the weekend box office charts. All battled it out with only one true winner emerging for that top spot crown. 20th Century Fox's John Grogan adaptation Marley & Me, which stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson as a married couple that adopt the worst dog in the world, found its way into America's heart over the holiday weekend earning almost $10 million over its competitors with $37 million in first place. Since its Thursday debut, the film has pulled in $51.6 million, making it the last true hit of the year. And for those that have seen the film, don't rule out a sequel just yet. It is possible that another Grogan novel could find its way to the big screen sometime in the near future.
The next three films had it out with bloody fists, and it was a close call for second and third place. Bedtime Stories, Adam Sandler's first waltz with Disney, hauled in an estimated $28 million for that coveted number two spot, while Brad Pitt's aging drama The Curious Case of Benjamin Button came in nipping at those heels with a little more than $27 million for third place. Tom Cruise's WWII epic Valkyrie managed to squeeze itself over last week's new releases, bringing in $21.5 million for fourth place.
There was a loser this holiday weekend. And it was Lionsgate's pulpy adaptation of the Will Eisner comic The Spirit. Directed by comic legend Frank Marshall, flying solo behind the camera for the first time, this Sin City esque crime buster flopped itself into ninth place with a weak $6.5 million take. Though spit on by critics, its bizarre storytelling techniques are unique enough that this could find a cult audience sometime in the near future. But for now, its being considered a bomb.
The film with the highest per screen average this weekend was the Kate Winslet drama Revolutionary Road, which saw her starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time since 1997's Titanic. This adaptation of the 1961 novel from Richard Yates took in $64,000 from each of its three screens for an accumulated gross of $192,000. If given the 3,480 screens held by top spot winner Marley & Me, the film would have earned 2 billion dollars. Not bad for a romantic drama, eh?
Next weekend will look a lot like this weekend on the box office charts, as the only new release will be Viggo Mortensen's euthanasia drama Good.
Marley & Me was released December 25th, 2008 and stars Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett, Ann Dowd. The film is directed by David Frankel.
Bedtime Stories was released December 25th, 2008 and stars Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox. The film is directed by Adam Shankman.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was released December 25th, 2008 and stars Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Faune A. Chambers, Elias Koteas, Donna DuPlantier, Jacob Tolano, Earl Maddox, Ed Metzger. The film is directed by David Fincher.
Valkyrie was released December 25th, 2008 and stars Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard. The film is directed by Bryan Singer.
Yes Man was released December 19th, 2008 and stars Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Rhys Darby, Danny Masterson, Fionnula Flanagan, Terence Stamp. The film is directed by Peyton Reed.
Seven Pounds was released December 19th, 2008 and stars Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper, Elpidia Carrillo, Robinne Lee, Joe Nunez. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino.
The Tale of Despereaux was released December 19th, 2008 and stars Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ciarán Hinds. The film is directed by Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen.
Comments (9)
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Diaigma
Welcome to the biggest bombs ever list, Spirit.
3 years agoby @diaigmaFlag
GK
ha ha. The Spirit is all the way down. I'll be seeing Marley and me later on.
3 years agoby @indianajonesFlag
Brian
Ha.
3 years agoby @brianFlag
Structure (ONSTRA)
NO NONONONO people don't watch marley and me. FOX DID THAT. plz.
3 years agoby @gaj1992Flag
levorotos
Hey Brad, Jen Kicking your ass
3 years agoby @levorotosFlag
ZanyZap
I saw Valkyrie.
It was well done, and suspenseful, considering everyone knows the outcome.
I'm going to see CCOBB, or Slumdog Millionaire, tonight.
3 years agoby @zanyzapFlag
T.Clark
WOW...was NOT expecting that. I knew Spirit would bomb, though
3 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
MikeyV1
benjamin button was an amazing beautiful movie. best picture of the year.
3 years agoby @mikeyv1Flag
killerman200
Wow, it's crazy how yes man and 7 pounds were pushed aside. Great comeback for owen wilson, beating a disney film.
3 years agoby @killerman200Flag