Gravity Finishes No. 1 for Third Week

Warner Bros.’ Gravity took in $30.03 million to lead the box office for a third straight weekend (Oct. 18-20). The Alfonso Cuarón directed sci-fi drama starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney has grossed $169.56 million in 17 days. With the continued help of strong word of mouth, awards season buzz and higher priced 3D and IMAX admissions, Gravity should continue to hold up well going forward.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney’s Gravity finished in first for the third week. (Photo: Warner Bros.)

Sony Picture’s Captain Phillips held steady in second place with $16.41 million. The Paul Greengrass directed movie starring Tom Hanks also displayed strong holding power this weekend. Captain Phillips surpassed the $50 million mark last weekend and has grossed $52.44 million through 10 days.

Fellow Sony release Carrie followed closely behind in third with $16.10 million. The horror remake from Screen Gems starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore debuted below expectations. Carrie had the advantage of opening in an October marketplace with limited horror options, but apparently many horror fans have already had their fill this fall with September’s Insidious Chapter 2. With Halloween weekend still ahead of it and a smaller initial turn out, Carrie hopes to display stronger than usual holding power for a horror film.

Lionsgate’s Escape Plan had been estimated to finish in fifth last weekend, but placed fourth with $9.89 million. That represented a disappointing, but expected, start for the action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 took in $9.67 million to round out last weekend’s top five. Sony’s 3D computer animated sequel was down 30 percent from the previous weekend. Cloudy 2 has grossed $92.71 million in 24 days, leaving it just $7.29 million away from the $100 million domestic milestone.

Further down last weekend’s chart, The Fifth Estate was dead on arrival with an eighth place start of $1.67 million. The WikiLeaks biopic from Disney and DreamWorks opened below already low expectations. Moviegoers weren’t interested in a film about WikiLeaks, while largely negative reviews and the currently crowded marketplace for adult moviegoers certainly didn’t help.