According to The Hollywood Reporter, after a summer with precious little heat at the boxoffice, the first weekend of the fall season was off to a strong start as Screen Gems' The Exorcism of Emily Rose cast out an estimated $30.2 million at the ticket window to take possession of first place. The opening for Exorcism exceeded expectations by a wide margin, marking the third biggest ever in September and the second highest for Sony for the year-to-date. Buena Vista's Sweet Home Alabama ($35.6 million) and New Line Cinema's Rush Hour ($33 million) were the only films that had better openings in September.

Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson star in the Scott Derrickson-helmed supernatural thriller, which was based on events that took place in Germany in 1976. The solid debut of Exorcism, which also was a post-Labor Day weekend best, aided in lifting the results for the session overall, with the total for this frame's top 12 films generating 16% more than the comparable period last year. The performance was all the more impressive considering the fallout from Hurricane Katrina.

A strong Japanese bow kept Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the No. 1 spot at the international boxoffice this weekend. Estimated overall takings were $11.3 million from about 4,100 prints in 49 countries; the cumulative total now stands at $155.7 million. The Japanese responded strongly to Tim Burton's fantasy, delivering about $4.3 million from 338 prints for the top spot ahead of local title holdovers Nana and Suspect: Muroi Shinhi. The opening was more than double Shark Tale, 66% up on Shrek 2, 55% better than Madagascar and 94% of The Incredibles.

In New Zealand, Charlie dominated the market with excellent earnings of $875,000 from 80 prints, commanding more than 70% of the top-five market share. Excluding sneaks, this was 138% better than Fantastic Four, 64% up on The Incredibles, 35% better than Madagascar and 21% up on Finding Nemo.

Dont't forget to also check out: The Exorcism of Emily Rose

The Exorcism of Emily Rose was released September 9th, 2005 and stars Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore, Joshua Close, Kenneth Welsh, Duncan Fraser. The film is directed by Scott Derrickson.