The Jessica Chastain-starring thriller pic tops box office, knocking down two R-rated action films 'Broken City' and 'The Last Stand'.
- Jan 21, 2013
AceShowbiz - Guillermo del Toro-produced thriller pic "Mama" claims victory on the North American box office on Martin Luther King weekend. Knocking down two R-rated new releases this week, the Jessica Chastain-starring pic takes in $33 million for the four-day weekend.
The $15 million-budgeted supernatural movie attracts to mostly female audience which make up 61|percent| of the ticket buyers. Around 63|percent| of the moviegoers are under the age of 25. Universal Pictures president of domestic distribution, Nikki Rocco, says that the film's box office success is mainly due to its PG-12 rating. "There's a void in the marketplace for PG-13 fare," Rocco states.
Chastain's other film, "Zero Dark Thirty (2012)", lands on the runner-up spot this week after topping the chart last week. The Oscar-nominated thriller bags $18.7 million for its four-day weekend for a total domestic cume of $55.9 million. Another Oscar nominee, "Silver Linings Playbook", secures the third spot with $13 million.
"Silver Linings" success comes as a surprise since many observers believed that The Weinstein Co. made a mistake by not releasing the dramedy nationwide. Responding to the result, TWC president of distribution, Erik Lomis, gushes, "I never thought we'd come in third place. This is a big victory for our strategy and the great word-of-mouth the film is getting. The sky's the limit."
"Gangster Squad" places fourth with $10.3 million. *Meanwhile, Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe's actioner "Broken City" opens to the fifth spot with only $9.5 million after receiving dismal reviews. The movie attracts mostly male audience with 78|percent| of the ticket buyers are over the age of 25.
Another new release which opens with disappointment is Arnold Schwarzenegger's "The Last Stand". The gun-laden actioner, which marks Arnie's first leading role since 2003, debuts at number 10 with only $7.1 million. 80|percent| of its audience are over the age of 25.
Top Ten Movies at Box Office for January 18-21:
*UPDATE (January 22, 2013 01:30 A.M. GMT): When the final figures came out on Monday, January 21, "Broken City" dropped another slot to the sixth. Hence, it swapped place with "A Haunted House", which now secured the fifth position on the chart.
