by Matt Marshall
Friday the 13th is box office gold for any horror/supernatural movie and Insidious: Chapter 2 is no exception to that rule. With a massive $20 million opening on Friday, the supernatural sequel starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne scared up over $41 million at the weekend box office.
Insidious: Chapter 2 is director James Wan’s second hit of 2013, the first being The Conjuring from a few months ago, which also opened over $41 million. But while The Conjuring had summer legs and positive word-of-mouth backing up a powerhouse $135 million run, Insidious: Chapter 2 finds itself with less favorable reviews and a fall frame.
Also debuting this weekend, Robert DeNiro’s The Family settled for a second place finish with just under $15 million. Last week’s leader, Riddick plummeted to third place, pulling in an additional $7 million in the second weekend while The Butler and We’re the Millers continued to hang on for another consecutive week.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – Insidious: Chapter 2 (NR)
$41.1 million / $41.1 million total
Back in early 2011, Insidious opened to little over $13 million, behind Hop and Source Code. Now fast forward two-and-a-half years and its highly anticipated sequel managed to scare all the weekend’s c0ntenders away tripling the 2011 film’s opening. Much of that success for be credited to Film District and Stage 6 Films debuting Insidious: Chapter 2 on Friday the 13th. Synonymous with the horror genre, Friday the 13th brought out fans in the masses as opening day resulted in over $20 million in ticket sales. Insidious: Chapter 2 already shows signs of a fast burn style run and could be one of those rare $40 million openers to miss the century mark.
#2 – The Family (NR)
$14.5 million / $14.5 million total
Robert DeNiro can still pull in the occasional blockbuster hit, but it doesn’t appear that The Family will be it. Alongside his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) and his two children, mob boss DeNiro is forced into witness protection with the assistance of an FBI agent (Tommy Lee Jones). Part gangster movie, part comedy, The Family struggles to find its identity and its audience in the face of Insidious: Chapter 2. The weeks ahead look as equally uncertain.
#3 – Riddick (1)
$7.0 million / $31.3 million total
Even from last weekend, it was a given that Riddick would take a tumble in its sophomore frame, but this franchise-high 63% drop poses the question whether or not a fourth film is in the cards. While Riddick will push itself past Pitch Black’s $39 million run in 2000, this third installment of the Vin Diesel franchise will have to settle for a finish shy of $45 million. At least Diesel will rake in the big bucks next summer with Fast & Furious 7.
#4 – Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2)
$5.6 million / $100.0 million total
In its fifth week at the box office, Lee Daniels’ The Butler finally crossed the $100 million mark. However, actual results on Monday will confirm whether or not the milestone was broken on Sunday or will be saved for Monday. Regardless, The Butler is a success story that just won’t stop and there’s little in its path to challenge it week in and week out. Hugh Jackman’s Prisoners may be the one exception next week.
#5 – We’re the Millers (4)
$5.4 million / $131.6 million total
In the past week, We’re the Millers has passed Grown Ups 2 and The Wolverine to become the 14th highest-grossing film of 2013. After six weeks on the Top 5 charts, Millers has amassed an impressive $132 million boast a career high for Jason Sudekis and Jennifer Aniston’s third largest run behind 2003’s Bruce Almighty and 2008’s Marley and Me. Millers may still have one more week left on the Top 5, depending on how Riddick and The Butler are shuffled around.
Opening Next Week: Prisoners, Battle of the Year, Rush (limited release), The Wizard of Oz IMAX 3D (limited release)
Source: Box Office Mojo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Marshall is a YouTube movie reviewer who hosts MNMreviews. He has a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from St. John Fisher College and resides in Rochester, NY.
