Sunday update:
"Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" will finish the weekend with $24 million, the third best opening for a Lionsgate-released Perry film, as well as the prolific producer's top three-day performance for a movie that doesn't feature his iconic house-dress-clad "Madea" character in the title.
In the first post-summer weekend box office -- which was even lousier than the comparable weekend last year, dropping 8 percent, accordig to studio data -- Focus Features' animated "9" came in second, securing $10.9 million and bringing its five-day total to $15.3 million.
Meanwhile, two other weekend premieres, R-rated scary movies "Sorority Row" from Summit Entertainment and "Whiteout" from Warner Bros., failed to draw their predicted amount of blood, taking in $5.3 million and $5.1 million, respectively.
Saturday update:
Apparently, it only takes a little Madea to open a Tyler Perry film these days.
The prolific producer's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" premiered to $8.6 million Friday, according to studio estimates, putting the Lionsgate-released title on track for a $24.3 million weekend, the best opening for any Perry film that doesn't feature his iconic "Madea" character in the title (although, a house-dress-clad Perry makes a brief appearance as Madea in the new movie).
Opening at 2,255 locations, "I Can Do Bad" is unchallenged at the top of the first post-summer weekend box office, with Focus Features' Tim Burton-produced animated movie "9" on pace for a $10.2 million after opening on Wednesday, 9-9-09, to $3.1 million.
Meanwhile, starting out way below expectations were two R-rated scary movies, Summit Entertainment's "Sorority Row" and Warner's "Whiteout," both of which were predicted to finish the weekend in the high single-digit range. Neither will come close.
Starring Rumer Willis, "Sorority Row" kicked off to $1.9 million Friday and is on pace for a $5.3 million weekend.
"Whiteout," a more adult-targeted thriller starring Kate Beckinsale, took in $1.8 million Friday and is looking to finish its first weekend with a disappointing $5.1 million.
Besides having to compete with each other, both movies entered a market that already had two R-rated horror titles in active release, notably Warner/New Line's "The Final Destination," which is on track for $5.3 million in its third weekend.
Other incumbents still going strong include Weinstein's "Inglourious Basterds," which is set to surpass the $100 million mark Sunday with a $6.3 million weekend.
Here's how the top 10 shaped up Friday:
1.) "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" ($8.6mil.)
2.) "9" ($3.3 mil.)
3.) "Sorority Row" ($1.9 mil.)
4.) "Inglourious Basterds" ($1.9 mil.)
5.) "The Final Destination" ($1.9)
6.) "All About Steve" ($1.8 mil.)
7.) "Whiteout" ($1.8 mil.)
8.) "District 9" ($1.1 mil.)
9.) "Gamer" ($1.0 mil.)
10.) "Julie and Julia ($0.9 mil.)
Thursday box-office preview:
Summer is over. The kids are back in school. And box office is expected to shrink by over a third.
Not that the studios won't be trying, with two more R-rated horror titles and a new Tyler Perry/Madea vehicle at hand.
