Box Office Recap: ‘Gone Girl’ Takes The Lead With $38M

David Fincher’s Gone Girl snatched the top spot at the box office this weekend, narrowly beating horror spinoff Annabelle.

The R-rated mystery drama took in a solid $38 million from 3,014 locations, and has become the largest debut of Fincher’s career, topping Panic Room’s $30 million premiere. Audience members, who were predominantly 60 percent female and 75 percent over the age of 25, gave the film a B CinemaScore, along with positive reviews.

“David Fincher made an incredibly provocative film,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at Fox. “We did an excellent job of marketing the movie and making it a cultural event where people had to see it in order to be part of the conversation.”

Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s novel, Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck as the leading man who becomes a murder suspect after the disappearance of his wife (Rosamund Pike).

Following right behind the thriller is another R-rated feature, New Line and Warner Bros.’ Annabelle. The prequel to The Conjuring grossed an impressive $37.2 million from 3,185 theaters. In comparison to Gone Girl, the horror flick’s opening crowd largely consisted of females, as well, who made up 51 percent of total moviegoers.

“Once again, female audience are driving the box office and not just with young adult movies or films aimed just at women, such as romantic comedies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak. “The female audience is vitally important to the health of the business.”

Centered on a possessed doll, Annabelle seemed to have enticed younger crowds, with 54 percent of audience members coming in under 25 years. The John R. Leonetti-directed feature did very well amongst viewers, as it received a B CinemaScore, similar to Gone Girl.

Last weekend’s victor, The Equalizer starring Denzel Washington, dropped to the third spot at the box office. The film took in an additional $19 million over the weekend and has accumulated a domestic total of $64.5 million.

Falling 28 percent at the box office is The Boxtrolls, which settles at No. 4 with $12.4 million. The Maze Runner secures the subsequent spot with $12 million, and has reached its international total of $175 million.

The weekend’s other wide release was Nicholas Cage’s Left Behind, with $6.8 million for a sixth place launch. The attempted reboot of the faith-based rapture franchise based on the best-selling book series debuted in over 1,825 locations, and ranks as one of the worst debuts of Cage’s career.

Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: October 3-5

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