As the sequel to the surprise smash hit Taken, we probably could have expected that Taken 2 would have a big box office weekend-- but possibly no one could have expected it to be this big. Early estimates have Taken 2 making an estimated $18.5 million, which includes $1.5 million from midnight showings-- the highest midnight showings gross since the July shootings in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.
According to Deadline, Taken 2 is now on track for as much as $50 million this weekend, which would be close to the highest October weekend record belonging to Paranormal Activity 3's $52.6 million. Coming in a good bit further behind Taken 2 is the weekend's other new release, Frankenweenie, which brought in just $3.2 million on Friday, and is on track for around $12.3 million. Compare that to Hotel Transylvania's record-breaking $42.5 million opening last week, and you really get the sense of the huge gulf between the two animated children's offerings. Hotel will be #2 for the weekend, but right behind it is Pitch Perfect, expanding into 2,770 theaters this weekend and making a strong $4.8 million Friday.
We'll have a full box office report for you next weekend, including a postmortem on what on earth kept everyone away from Frankenweenie (it's really pretty good!). In the meantime, let us know in the comments what you're seeing this weekend and if any of these box office results surprise you!
