This weekend where new releases were concerned you had two choices: crappy wedding comedy or crappy horror flick remake. Both films made it into the top three but, thankfully, neither made it to number one.
Clint Eastwood's latest wonderfully politically incorrect story Gran Torino has been slowly building momentum in small release for over a month ensuring its place in the run for all the major 2008 awards (although it hasn't seen a whole lot of nomination action). This weekend it widened to over 2,800 theaters, taking in a respectable $29 million and the top spot. Hey, it's no Golden Globe, but a solid profit is nothing to sneeze at.
That $29 million also marks the third highest opening for a January wide release, right behind the 1997 special effects crapped-out re-release of Star Wars ($35 million) and last years Godzilla-meets-Blair-Witch feature Cloverfield ($40 million).
Bride Wars and The Unborn, painful career choices for Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman respectively, each made around $21 million. Reviewing the chart that puts the films at 14th and 15th most lucrative January openings, just behind Stomp The Yard. Sounds about right to me.
Drama Not Easily Broken opened in under 800 screens but still made more cash in its first weekend than was spent to make it. Hey, when your budget is $5 million that's not hard to do. The movie came in at 9th place with $5.6 million.
