After weeks of lackluster sales, things are looking brighter at the box office thanks to the debut of Adam Sandler’s animated comedy, Hotel Transylvania. The monster flick enjoyed a $43 million debut over the weekend, setting a new record for a September opening.
“Sony really helped the industry this weekend by getting the momentum going,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box-Office, told Business Week. “This was great news for the industry, which has been lacking good news for the last month or so.”
Hotel Transylvania, a movie about a resort for monsters, stars the voice talent of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, and David Spade.
Looper, a new release starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt, placed second with a weekend debut of $21 million. The time travel tale has received near-universal acclaim from critics and surpassed earning expectations.
Second-week films End of Watch, Trouble with the Curve, and House at the End of the Street round out the list of top five performers with respective earnings of $8, $7.5, and $7.1 million.
Next up is new release Pitch Perfect with a weekend debut of $5.2 million. The comedy directed by Jason Moore stars Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, and Rebel Wilson, among others.
The seventh through ninth place spots go to third-week films Finding Nemo 3D, Resident Evil: Retribution, and The Master. Nemo garnered another $4 million in earnings, bringing its gross total to $36.4 million, while Retribution and The Master commanded $3 and $2.7 million, respectively.
Finally, new release Won’t Back Down closes out the list of top ten earners with a weekend debut of $2.7 million. The drama about two mothers’ quest to save a failing inner city school stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, and Holly Hunter.
Frankenweenie and Taken 2 hit theaters this Friday. Will one of the new releases topple the success that is Hotel Transylvania? Check back next week to find out.
Photo: Hotel Transylvania