Los Angeles — Halloween spirit possessed movie-goers as Sarah Michelle Gellar's fright flick remained the top draw for the second straight weekend with $22.4 million.
The film biography "Ray," which has drawn Academy Awards buzz for Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in the title role, debuted in second place with $20.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The horror tale "Saw," about a serial killer who puts victims through grisly morality trials, opened at No. 3 with $17.4 million. The cast includes Cary Elwes and Danny Glover.
In narrower release, Nicole Kidman's "Birth" had a so-so debut, coming in at No. 11 with $1.7 million in 550 cinemas to average $3,091 a theater. Kidman plays a widow about to remarry when she encounters a 10-year-old boy claiming to be the reincarnation of her dead husband.
"The Grudge," starring Gellar as an American student tormented by a hateful spirit lurking in a Tokyo house, lifted its 10-day domestic gross to $71.3 million. A remake of a Japanese horror hit, "The Grudge" cost just $10 million to produce.
Other estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today:
4. "Shark Tale," $8 million.
5. "Shall We Dance?" $6.3 million.
6. "Friday Night Lights," $4.1 million.
7. "Ladder 49," $3.3 million.
8. "Team America: World Police," $3.1 million.
9. "Surviving Christmas," $2.6 million.
10. "Taxi," $2.15 million.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.