Brad Pitt’s Fury took in $23.5 million over the weekend, pushing Ben Affleck’s Gone Girl to the No. 2 slot at the box office.
The WWII drama has received the title as one of the best debuts ever for a war film. In addition, it ranks as a career best for director David Ayer, as well as a win for Pitt.
Costing $68 million to produce, the action-drama tells the story of a tank commander, known as Wardaddy (played by Pitt), who is forced to make a last stand against the Nazis behind enemy lines. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs and Scott Eastwood, alongside Pitt.
Fury deemed most appealing to males, with 60 percent of them in attendance. Female moviegoers were still present in the audience (35 percent), making up a healthy percentage, according to Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer. The war film resonated with all audiences, and earned an impressive A minus CinemaScore.
The weekend’s other wide release was Jorge Gutierrez’s Book of Life, which came in No. 3 with a solid $17 million from 3,071 locations. The fantasy-adventure film pushed Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day to the fourth spot on the chart.
While both films catered to younger crowds, Book of Life attracted many Hispanic moviegoers, who made up 40 percent of the audience. Set around the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, the film skewed female (57 percent), with 54 percent of movie attendees under the age of 25. Voices featured in the $50 million production included stars Channing Tatum, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Hector Elizondo, Diego Luna and Zoe Saldana.
“The origins of the story are in Mexican folklore, so we targeted Hispanics, but we broadened the campaign to make it accessible for all audiences,” said Fox domestic distribution president Chris Aronson. “As for Gone Girl, it’s a box office phenomenon. If you don’t see the movie, you’re not part of the conversation. And there is a whole lot of conversation going on.”
David Fincher’s Gone Girl dropped 32 percent to $17.8 million, and has gathered a total of $107.1 million since its release.
The third new release was romance drama The Best of Me, another adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Placing at No. 5 with $10.2 million (the lowest debut for a Sparks adaptation), the film stars Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato and Gerald McRaney.
“We have had great success with Nicholas Sparks over the years and are always glad to be in business with him. We are confident the film will play well over the coming weeks given its word of mouth and strong CinemaScore,” a Relativity spokesperson said.
Alejandro G. Innarritu’s Birdman debuted at the specialty box office over the weekend with $415,000 from just four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, an average of $103,750. It ranks as the second best opening since Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel ($202,792 average).
Justin Simien’s Dear White People thrived with $344,136 from 11 theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Atlanta, for a location average of $31,285.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: October 17-19
- Fury – $23.5 million
- Gone Girl – $17.8 million
- The Book of Life – $17 million
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – $12 million
- The Best of Me – $10.2 million
- Dracula Untold – $9.9 million
- The Judge – $7.94 million
- Annabelle – $7.92 million
- The Equalizer – $5.5 million
- The Maze Runner – $4.5 million
