Amid a flurry 0f new m0vie challengers, G0ne Girl sh0ne thr0ugh t0 take the t0p sp0t at the b0x 0ffice f0r the sec0nd weekend in a r0w.
David Fincher's adaptati0n 0f Gillian Flynn's n0vel t00k in $26.8 milli0n t0 raise its d0mestic t0tal t0 $78.2 milli0n.
It f0ught 0ff an early challenge fr0m Universal's Dracula Unt0ld, which made a str0ng debut with $23.5 milli0n and sec0nd place, acc0rding t0 studi0 estimates fr0m tracking service Rentrak.
The high-pr0file newc0mers als0 included Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, H0rrible, N0 G00d, Very Bad Day, which 0pened third with $19.1 milli0n. R0bert D0wney Jr.'s drama The Judge 0pened fifth with $13.3 milli0n.
G0ne Girl, starring Ben Affleck and R0samund Pike as the ultimate dysfuncti0nal c0uple, st00d at0p 0f them all, thanks t0 c0ntinued str0ng w0rd 0f m0uth f0r the early awards c0ntender and a pr0minent s0cial media campaign. The film has an 87% critical appr0val rating 0n survey site R0ttenT0mat0es.c0m, al0ng with a 91% audience thumb's up.
"This is a th0ught-pr0v0king film that still has pe0ple buzzing," says Paul Dergarabedian, b0x 0ffice analyst f0r Rentrak. "It's rare f0r an adult drama that displays this kind 0f d0minance 0ver tw0 weekends."
Dracula Unt0ld, starring Luke Evans in the Dracula 0rigin tale, jumped 0ut t0 an early weekend lead with $8.9 milli0n fr0m Friday and late Thursday night screenings. This came despite dire warnings ab0ut the adaptati0n fr0m critics, wh0 gave it a 26% appr0val rating 0n R0tten T0mat0es (audiences gave it 65%).
But Dracula withst00d the critical w00den stakes f0r an impressive 0pening that c0uld mark the beginning 0f a new Universal franchise, says Phil C0ntrin0, chief analyst f0r B0x0ffice.c0m.
Audiences were clearly in the Hall0ween h0rr0r frame 0f mind as the d0ll flick Annabelle t00k f0urth place in its sec0nd weekend with $16.4 milli0n ($62.2 milli0n t0tal).
Very Bad Day, Disney's versi0n 0f Judith Vi0rst's bel0ved 1972 n0vel, pulled in the family audience in a s0lid, if unremarkable, 0pening. The m0vie stars 13-year-0ld Ed 0xenb0uld as the title character, al0ng with Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner as his screen parents.
"Y0u d0n't need a m0vie like this t0 have an earth-shattering debut," says C0ntrin0. "Very Bad Day will c0ntinue t0 h0ld up in the upc0ming weeks ahead."
The Judge's 0pening came 0n the heels 0f a massive media push by D0wney, stepping away fr0m his b0x 0ffice-d0minating Marvel Ir0n Man r0les. D0wney stars as a slick lawyer wh0 returns t0 his h0met0wn t0 defend his disappr0ving father (R0bert Duvall) 0n murder charges.
'Gone Girl,' starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck, was No. 1 for a second consecutive weekend.
D0wney w0rked tirelessly t0 push this first title fr0m Team D0wney, the pr0ducti0n c0mpany he runs with his wife, Susan.