The Girl on the Train Rides to First Place

Universal Pictures’ drama thriller The Girl on the Train debuted in first place last weekend (Oct. 7-9) with $24.53 million, as other new releases The Birth of a Nation and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life came in with disappointing takes.

Universal Pictures’ The Girl on the Train opened in first place with $24.53 million over the weekend. (Photo: Universal Pictures)

The Girl on the Train stars Emily Blunt as an alcoholic staring out the window of a train who may have inadvertently become the last person to see a woman alive before she goes missing. The movie is based on the hit Paula Hawkins novel of the same name.

Compared to other R-rated female-centered films based on bestselling books of this decade, The Girl on the Train started starts 34.6 percent behind the $37.51 million opening of Gone Girl and 92.3 percent ahead of the $12.76 million debut of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Fox Searchlight’s awards contender The Birth of a Nation — like Snowdenlast month — wasn’t able to translate its controversy into big box office success with a $7.00 million debut.

The Civil War slavery drama starring Nate Parker and Aja Naomi King opened in sixth place. The film received generally positive reviews, although down from the unbelievable hype after early film festival screenings. Months ago some had predicted it could be the first-place frontrunner for Best Picture, which now seems highly unlikely. It debuted 7.5 percent behind the $7.57 million opening of June’s Civil War drama Free State of Jones and 4.9 percent ahead of the $6.67 million wide opening of 12 Years a Slave.

Lionsgate’s family comedy Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life opened with $6.78 million. The family-friendly teen comedy, which stars newcomer Griffin Gluck and is based on the James Patterson book, only managed a seventh place debut.

Last week’s top film, 20th Century Fox’s fantasy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, fell 47.6 percent to second place with $15.14 million. It has earned $51.2 million total through two weekends. In third place was Lionsgate’s disaster drama Deepwater Horizon, which fell 42.9 percent to $11.53 million and has earned $39.30 million total through two weekends.