There was a period in time when 3D horror was thought of as a failed gimmick to get butts into theater seats. Using cheap stereoscopic (blue-and-red) technology to make films like 1982′s Parasite or even as far back as the original House of Wax, the concept got people into theaters, but the initial excitement of it eventually wore off in the 50′s, then again in the 80′s.
It seems like the trend has come back once again, as The Final Destination in digital 3D popped up in the top of the box office this weekend, grossing roughly $28 million over the three days. This was bad news for Halloween II, the opposing horror film that opened this weekend, as it only grossed $17 million.
Though Halloween II, Rob Zombie’s sequel to his 2007 reboot, only came in at #3 on the chart, it still grossed $2 million more than their production budget on the film. Final Destination, however, made back nearly half of their budget of $40 million.
The film opened in nearly 3,200 screens across the country, most of them in digital 3D. All theaters charge extra on tickets for digital 3D screenings, which didn’t seem to phase fans at all. Though this film was technically a reboot, this is the biggest opening of the Final Destination film series, with 2006′s Final Destination 3 opening with $19 million.
Elsewhere on the box office, Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds still seems to be standing tall in it’s second week, bringing in $20 million this weekend. That grosses the film just over it’s production budget of $70 million. District 9 is also holding it’s own in week 3 with $10 million. This marks the $90 million mark for the film in the domestic box office, three times the production budget.
Taking Woodstock, the third film that opened this past weekend, only grossed $3.8 million this weekend in nearly 2,000 theaters across the country. The film was released by Focus Features, who hasn’t had the best year, with Coraline taking in only $16.8 million in it’s first weekend.
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