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COUPLES Retreat into 1st

Zombieland continues chewing up ticket sales.

By Jarrod Sarafin October 11, 2009

Jason Bateman and Vince Vaughn in COUPLES RETREAT(2009).
© Universal Pictures

A few days after Universal Pictures replaced their top management for new faces, after a lackluster 2009 performance, the studio has found itself on top this weekend. With only one new wide release hitting theaters this weekend, audiences across the nation chose for laughter with Couples Retreat taking the 1^st place spot with an estimated $35.3 million in its first three days of release. The respectable opening bow has it coming into 6^th on the all-time October opening list and 2^nd for all-time October comedy openings behind 2003’s horror spoof, Scary Movie 3 ($48.1 mil). There can also be no doubt that leading star Vince Vaughn continues to have an incredible track record at the box office. This is his seventh film to open with at least $30 million or more.

Following in 2^nd place is Sony Pictures’ undead-infested success story, Zombieland. This weekend’s pull of $15.0 million has increased its overall domestic gross to $47.8 million. After just ten days of release, the film has accumulated double the amount of its low $23.6 mil budget and it seems clear that the film will end up becoming the highest grossing zombie film of all-time, bypassing Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead ($59.0 mil) in a week or two.

Sony Pictures continues to also do very decent steady numbers with their 3D animated adventure, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. In its fourth weekend of release (the first two of which they topped the box office), the release grabbed another $12.0 million to increase their domestic tally to $96.2 mil. This has it guaranteed to cross its $100 mil budget line by next weekend.

Walt Disney is also piling more cash from their 3D re-release double feature, Toy Story and Toy Story 2. The two films grabbed another $7.6 million on just 1,752 theaters across the nation in its limited engagement. After two weekends the double dose of Woody and Buzz has $22.6 million under their belts. Not bad for films that have been on home entertainment shelves for years, right?

The most interesting story for this report is the incredible weekend performance from Paramount Pictures’ Paranormal Activity. As you’ve seen the last few weeks, the studio has been letting the fans dictate which cities receive the horror film and when a theater gets it, they have a packed house for the film’s showing. Over the weekend, Paramount increased the film’s distribution into 160 theaters and it still found a way to gross $7.0 million for a 5^th place spot.

The low theater count has it averaging an amazing $44,163 per showing. Now that Paramount has received one million requests on their request tracker, the studio will be expanding the horror film into a wide release in the very near future. Another interesting note is that the film reportedly cost only $11,000 to produce and has already grossed $8.7 million to date. Overall, it’s very profitable venture for the studio.

Rank	Movie	Weekend	Theaters	Average	Total	Budget
1	Couples Retreat	$35.3 mil	3,000	$11,780	$35.3 mil	$70
2	Zombieland	$15.0 mil	3,038	$4,937	$47.8 mil	$23.6
3	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs	$12.0 mil	2,992	$4,011	$96.2 mil	$100
4	Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D	$7.6 mil	1,752	$4,380	$22.6 mil	----
5	Paranormal Activity	$7.0 mil	160	$44,163	$8.2 mil	----
6	Surrogates	$4.1 mil	2,992	$1,375	$32.5 mil	$80
7	The Invention of Lying	$3.3 mil	1,743	$1,933	$12.3 mil	$18.5
8	Whip It	$2.8 mil	1,738	$1,611	$8.7 mil	$15
9	Capitalism: A Love Story	$2.7 mil	995	$2,714	$9.0 mil	----
10	Fame	$2.5 mil	3,110	$822	$20.0 mil	$18

We’re approaching the middle of October where the box office will have quite a few key demographics facing off in a much more congested theatrical environment. There’s three new wide releases next weekend alone, with quite a big buzz centering around Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. Warner Bros. is releasing the film into at least 3,500 theaters and it seems a sure winner for our next report.

Screen Gems is releasing their latest genre feature, a remake of The Stepfather while Overture Films is launching their Gerard Butler-Jamie Foxx thriller Law Abiding Citizen.

All three releases will have just one week before the studios unleash their Halloween blitz with five new releases scheduled for October 23^th (Saw VI, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Astro Boy, Tim Burton’s re-issue of A Nightmare Before Christmas 3D and Amelia).

Friday October 16, 2009 Releases

Wide

Where the Wild Things Are (3,500+)

The Stepfather (2,700)

Law Abiding Citizen (2,700)

Limited

Black Dynamite

New York, I Love You

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COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Flint521466 10/11/2009 4:03:18 PM

Mrs. Flint & I caught "Couples Retreat" on Friday. It was ok. Thought it would be funnier. Some good life lessons in there.

Next week is "Black Dynamite"! Can't wait. I will find it & I will see it.

"Shhh.....you gonna wake up the other bitches." - B. Dynamite

ripum853 10/11/2009 4:19:23 PM

Glad to see the best Horror film I've seen in practically a decade (if not more) do so well. Here's hoping continuous success for PA.

muchdrama1 10/11/2009 4:55:31 PM

I see Vaughn and Favreau really cashed in on their fame for this one...what a shitfest.

Chopsaki 10/11/2009 5:22:31 PM

I saw Zombieland on friday, was pretty funny.

wessmith1966 10/11/2009 5:49:14 PM

Couples Retreat wasn't great, but it had some good laughs and was a great date movie. We saw it with three other couples and we all had a blast talking about the movie and its lessons over drinks.

The kids can't wait for Wild Things.

There's nothing coming out that I really want to see, although I'll probably go to see the new Saw movie to see how the winner of the Scream Queen reality show does in the film.

littlemikey979 10/11/2009 11:13:39 PM

Retreat was a really good movie. the misses and i went to watch in a overflowing theater it seemed like. i am glad i she suggested it. its not gut busting funny, but i dont think its supposed to be. if your in a relationship i would recommend seeing it together. there is a little something for everyone.

the yoga instructor was the too funny, "feel my energy coming to you, boom...boom"