Power To The Slashers
Now, this made me feel REALLY good.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two of Hollywood's most infamous villains joined forces over the weekend to scare moviegoers and shock studio executives with a surprisingly strong No. 1 opening at the North American box office.Can't mess with the best, baby.
"Freddy Vs. Jason," a low-budget teen thriller, sold an estimated $36.4 million worth of tickets in its first three days since opening on Aug. 15, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday. Going into the weekend, industry observers had forecast a bow in the $20 million range.
Last weekend's champion, the cop action movie "S.W.A.T.," slipped to a distant No. 2 with $18.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $70.1 million.
The top-five contained two other new releases. "Open Range," a Western directed by and starring Kevin Costner, opened at No. 3 with a solid $14.1 million. The female-targeted comedy "Uptown Girls," starring Brittany Murphy, launched at No. 5 with $11.2 million, also a promising start for a film that cost less than $20 million to make.
In between, the Jamie Lee Curtis role-reversal comedy "Freaky Friday" slipped two places to No. 4 with $13.1 million in its second weekend. The 12-day total for the critically acclaimed film rose to $57.9 million.