“Ouija” broke away to win the weekend with $10.7 million at the box office at 2,899 theaters.
Universal’s teen thriller was running neck-and-neck with Jake Gyllenhaal‘s “Nightcrawler,” both estimated at $10.9 million domestic take coming out of the weekend. It was a very soft weekend, and the winning total is the lowest of any No. 1 film this year.
See photos: 10 of Hollywood’s Creepiest Demon Dolls
Open Road’s “Nightcrawler” brought in $10.4 million from 2,766 locations. The film earned a 93 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the best-reviewed films of the year. “Nightcrawler” features Gyllenhaal as an ambulance-chasing news videographer. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, his wife Rene Russo also stars. Tony Gilroy and John Gilroy, Dan’s brothers, produce and edit, respectively. Bill Paxton and Rez Ahmed co-star. Open Road acquired “Nightcrawler,” financed by Bold Films, at the Cannes Film Festival.
Also read: ‘Ouija’ Fails to Summons Critics: 10 Takedowns That May Scare Off Audiences
“Ouija” has already made seven times its $5 million production budget, making it a big win for producer Jason Blum. The cast of the low-budget film features several young TV stars including Daren Kagasoff (“Secret Life of an American Teenager”), Bianca Santos (“The Fosters”), Douglas Smith (“Big Love”), Olivia Cooke (“Bates Motel”), along with Ana Coto. Stiles White (“The Possession”) directs, and co-wrote with Juliet Snowden.
Theatrical business likely will pick up in the next week with two major releases in “Interstellar” and “Big Hero 6.”