Prisoners, the new film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman, opened at the top of the box office. That can be interpreted as a rare success for a super-serious R-rated film, but the truth is that Hollywood didn’t have many alternatives on this slow weekend. The film only needed $21 million to beat Insidious Chapter 2 and Battle of the Year.
Prisoners has earned critical praise, but some feared that its long running time and gritty topic (it centers on a child abduction) might turn off the average moviegoer. But, people like Jackman and it is the best opening for a non-musical, non-Wolverine movie for him, notes Entertainment Weekly. The film finished its first weekend with $21.4 million, thanks to Warner Bros.’ smart marketing campaign that highlighted the critical praise.
According to Box Office Mojo, Prisoners does have a chance to do well in the long-term, since it earned a B CinemaScore Grade from Friday’s audience and that went up to an A- on Saturday. The audience was 72 percent over the age of 25.
Insidious Chapter 2 got off to a strong start last week, but it fell to $14.5 million in its second weekend. It won’t reach Conjuring levels, but it has already beat its predecessor with $60.9 million in total so far.
Luc Besson’s The Family with Robert De Niro added $7 million, while the Spanish-language Instructions Not Included grossed $5.7 million. (It is already the fifth-highest grossing foreign-language film in U.S. box office history.)
The dance film Battle of the Year limped to $5 million. It’s possible that the dance movie fad is over.
It’s also worth noting that The Wizard of Oz grossed $3 million from IMAX 3D screenings and Enough Said with the late James Gandolfini grossed $240,000 at just four locations.
image: Warner Bros.