Box Office: 'Gone Girl' Narrowly Wins Top Spot Over 'Annabelle'
It was a tight race at the weekend box office, but David Fincher's Gone Girl, adapted from the hit novel by Gillian Flynn, narrowly edged out horror film Annabelle to take the top spot.
Gone Girl earned $38 million, marking a career best opening for Fincher, whose previous top opening was Panic Room, which raked in $30.1 million in 2002. The movie was just as successful overseas, bringing in an impressive $24.6 million from its first 39 markets. Thus, its worldwide total for week one is $62.6 million, just a shade over its $61 million production budget. In short, Gone Girl is looking to be a real profit-earner from 20th Century Fox and New Regency.
This opening was impressive enough to for Gone Girl to just eke out the win against horror film Annabelle, a prequel to 2013's The Conjuring. The horror thriller opened to $37.2 million in North America, essentially birthing a new franchise, as Annabelle is showing as much potential for long-term success as its forebear, which raked in $41.5 million in its first weekend to overtake The Purge as the all-time top opening for an original R-rated horror film. Annabelle, which cost a scant $6.5 million to make, earned an extra $23 million overseas for a global gross of $60.2 million.
In other news, Denzel Washington's The Equalizer remained strong in week two, dropping just 44 percent to place at No. 3 with a gross of $19 million. Its domestic total is now $64.5 million. Its international haul this weekend included $19 million from 70 foreign markets, bringing its worldwide total to a healthy $104.1 million. It was enough to fend off the threat of family-focused film The Boxtrolls, which came in at No. 4 in its second weekend. It was an impressive weekend for the film, which only saw a 28 percent drop. The Boxtrolls took in $12.4 million to bring its North American total to $32.5 million. With an additional $26 million from international markets, the movie now has a two-week worldwide total of $90.5 million.
Rounding out the Top 5 is The Maze Runner rounded out the top five, grossing $12 million in week three to bring its North American gross to $73.9 million. Worldwide, the film is creeping towards the $200 million milestone, as an additional $16.5 million from overseas markets brings its global total to $193 million.
1. Gone Girl ($38 million)
2. Annabelle ($37.2 million)
3. The Equalizer ($18 million)
4. The Boxtrolls ($12.4 million)
5. The Maze Runner ($12 million)
6. Left Behind ($6.9 million)
7. This Is Where I Leave You ($4 million)
8. Dolphin Tale 2 ($3.5 million)
9. Guardians of the Galaxy ($3 million)
10. No Good Deed ($2.5 million)
Credit: 20th Century Fox / New Regency