Director John Luessenhop’s Texas Chainsaw 3D , a direct sequel to the 1974 horror classic, cleaned up at the box office.
Although analysts predicted the first place position would belong to either The Hobbit , Django Unchained , or Les Miserables , it would appear that audiences were more interested in seeing people get eviscerated on the big screen over the weekend.
According to Coming Soon , Texas Chainsaw 3D rose to the top of the cinematic pile with an estimated $23.1 million in ticket sales. Lionsgate’s venture has proven successful, especially since the film’s production budget was around $8 million.
Landing in the second place position with $20 million in receipts was director Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Since hitting theaters on Christmas Day, the film has earned $106 million during its domestic run. The film is sure to earn quite a bit more when it opens internationally.
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey found its way into third place with $17.5 million. According to Box Office Mojo , the lengthy adventure flick’s worldwide total currently sits at $777 million. However, the film has yet to cross the $300 million mark in the United States.
Director Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski expanded into more theaters on Friday. The film, which opened in roughly 1,676 theaters, earned $4.3 million over the weekend. This total places the flick at the bottom of the top 10.
Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor’s disaster drama The Impossible failed to connect with moviegoers over the past three days. Despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics, the film only managed to bring home $2.8 million.
A complete list of the box office estimates have been included below.
1. Texas Chainsaw 3D – $23 million 2. Django Unchained – $20 million 3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $17 million 4. Les Miserables – $16 million 5. Parental Guidance – $10 million 6. Jack Reacher – $9 million 7. This Is 40 – $8 million 8. Lincoln – $5 million 9. The Guilt Trip – $4 million 10. Promised Land – $4 million
Did you catch Texas Chainsaw 3D in theaters over the weekend? Are you surprised the film landed at the top of the box office?