Gone Girl Still Strong At US Box Office

Dracula Untold lands second

Despite competition from the world’s most famous bloodsucker, a new Disney family comedy and Tony Sta – sorry, Robert Downey Jr. – David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl stayed strong at the top of the US box office this weekend, earning $26.8 million according to studio estimates.

The thriller, which Flynn herself scripted based on her novel, has earned $102.8 million worldwide so far from a roughly $95 million budget, representing a solid start for a film with a dark, chilly, challenging subject matter and an R-rating across the pond. Dracula Untold, featuring Luke Evans in the story of how a committed family man and warrior started down the path to become the Prince of Darkness, fought off some bad reviews to launch in second place with $23.4 million and a lot of success globally, earning $86 million in several territories, with more to come.

Disney took advantage of a dearth of family fare to launch its live-action adaptation of kiddie tome Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Day, with Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner starring. The film landed third with $19.1 million and is expected to hold well despite the imminent arrival of cartoon competition. It launched ahead of last week’s second place pic, Annabelle, with the demonic doll horror falling to fourth place and $16.3 million for a $62.1 million total to date.

And despite the usual charm offensive from Robert Downey Jr., his new drama The Judge didn’t enjoy the RDJ bump, opening fifth with a surely disappointing $13.3 million. The Equalizer fell from third to sixth in its third weekend on release, adding $9.7 million to its coffers while sexy drama Addicted arrived seventh with $7.6 million and The Maze Runner slipped from fifth to eighth place with $7.5 million. At ninth, we find The Boxtrolls taking home $6.6 million, and dodgy Nic Cage rapture-drama Left Behind sinking from sixth to 10th and $2.9 million.

To see Ben Affleck batter Dracula with copies of Gone Girl in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.

from Empire News