Movie

For second straight weekend, 'High School Musical 3' displays dominance at the box office and bests over horror movies, 'Saw V' and 'The Haunting of Molly Hartley' during the Halloween weekend.

• Nov 3, 2008

AceShowbiz - Securing its #1 position for the second weekend consecutively, "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" remains unbeatable at the box office during the Halloween weekend. Hauling in $15.3 million, the big screen sequel to the "High School Musical" franchise has raised the total of $62 million after 10 days screening on multiple theaters across North America.

Though ending the weekend on the top slot, the Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens-starring musical has slipped to the fifth place on Friday, October 31 with $1.7 million. Still, it rebounded back on Saturday, November 1, collecting $8.2 million. Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group, commented, "The target audience was out collecting candy or trick-or-treating Friday, but Saturday came back like a monster."

While the domestic sales of the third "HSM" movie experienced a 63.6|percent| decrease, "Senior Year" has also dominated the 26 international markets. Raking in another $26 million, the movie which is also supported by Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman has been claimed by the mouse house to bring in an overseas total up to $85 million.

Aside from "Senior Year", debuting second at the revenue chart was "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" which took in $10.1 million. Putting the blame on the ads trouble due to the movie's title and themes, Steve Bunnell, head of distribution for Weinstein, said, "I would anecdotally speculate that that hurt us. We were surprised that we ended up with the controversy. We thought everybody in America would understand that it was a joke."

Following close at the third place was "Saw V". The latest to the Lionsgate hit horror franchise fell one place from its runner-up position last weekend after collecting $9.7 million, taking its 10-day cume to $45.5 million. Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood's thriller mystery, "Changeling", has shot up 16 spots to the fourth place after getting a wide release on Friday. The Universal Pictures movie starring Angelina Jolie garnered $9.4 million. Rounding up the top five was "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" with $5.4 million.

Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for October 31 - November 2, 2008:

1. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" - $15.3 million
2. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" - $10.1 million
3. "Saw V" - $9.7 million
4. "Changeling" - $9.4 million
5. "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" - $5.4 million
6. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" - $4.9 million
7. "The Secret Life of Bees" - $4 million
8. "Max Payne" - $3.7 million
9. "Eagle Eye" - $3.5 million
10. "Pride and Glory" - $3.4 million