Finishing far back in fourth place was showbiz drama Beyond the Lights, with $6.5 million. Although there was a lot of Internet buzz for the new film from Gina Prince-Bythewood, the lack of star power and a crowded marketplace made it hard for the film to break out. It was one of the worst openings for producer Matt Alvarez, whose films, like Ride Along and Barbershop, target the African-American crowd. Those who did see Beyond the Lights liked what they saw though, resulting in an A CinemaScore.
Rounding out the top five was Gone Girl – in its seventh weekend of release. Bringing in another $4.6 million and dropping just 25% from last weekend, the crime thriller remains a water-cooler sensation. It is now the second-biggest R-rated film of the year, after this summer’s 22 Jump Street, although Fincher’s drama should soon surpass the Jonah Hill comedy in worldwide grosses. Domestically, Gone Girl has picked up a whopping $152.7 million so far, which is more than four times its opening weekend.
As for the limited releases this weekend, the results were largely mixed. Birdman expanded to wide release but jumped just 6% to take tenth place and $2.5 million. With good word-of-mouth and $11.5 in its wings so far, the film could soar higher depending on how it does in the awards race. Jon Stewart’s directorial debut, Rosewater, saw mild results outside of the Top 10, earning just $1.2 million. Of titles this fall, it joins Kill the Messenger and The Good Lie as serious dramas with moderate theater counts (between 300 and 500 cinemas) that failed to join the Top 10. Meanwhile, it was ho hum for the faith-based drama Saving Christmas, starring Kirk Cameron. That title made just $1 million from 410 theaters.
The news was better for two films featuring likely Best Actor contenders. Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, had a big platform opening, earning $288,000 from just six theaters. With strong reviews and a lot of buzz, the film should see a healthy run in limited release. However, the dark subject matter and slow pace could be more problematic when Foxcatcher expands. Meanwhile, The Theory of Everything (starring Eddie Redmayne) had a solid expansion, taking in $733,000 from only 41 cinemas. With a $1 million total in limited release, the film is performing a lot like Focus Features’ Oscar-courting November release from 2013, Dallas Buyers Club. That film closed with $27.3 million after a lengthy, awards-driven run in theaters.
Here are the numbers for the Top 10 films at the North American box office for the weekend of November 14 through 16, 2014:
1. Dumb and Dumber To – $38.1 million (NEW)
2. Big Hero 6 – $36 million ($111.7 million total)
3. Interstellar – $29.2 million ($97.8 million total)
4. Beyond the Lights – $6.5 million (NEW)
5. Gone Girl – $4.6 million ($152.7 million total)
6. St. Vincent – $4 million ($33.3 million total)
7. Fury – $3.8 million ($75.9 million total)
8. Nightcrawler – $3 million ($25 million total)
9. Ouija – $3 million ($48.1 million total)
10. Birdman – $2.5 million ($11.6 million total)
NOTE: These numbers are weekend estimates based on Friday and Saturday’s estimated takes. Actual numbers for the three-day weekend are reported on Monday afternoon.
