I skipped doing predictions this past weekend. There was only one movie opening nationally. Combine that with Halloween falling on a Saturday and the chaences for an exciting box office weekend drops dramatically. So, I hope you will forgive me, next week should get us all back on track with a number of new movies flooding local cinemas.As for this weekend, it was a little on the slow side with a number of films suffering steep dips from last week. There were two bright spots in this weekend's numbers. There is the arrival of the Michael Jackson documentary and the continued success of Paranormal Activity. Beyond that, you have headlines about the step drops being suffered by the likes of Where the Wild Things Are and Saw VI.
Let's start at the top, shall we? There was much sadness in the wake of Michael Jackson's death, but with that sadness came those wondering how long it would take them to get a documentary or some such biopic up and running. The answer is not long at all. This documentary has some of the last Jackson footage ever filmed. It was taken during the rehearsals for his upcoming tour. Aside from that, I am not sure what else is in the film, but I do wonder if this footage was originally intended as some sort of bonus footage for a concert documentary for the tour? It will only be in theaters for two weeks, so if you want to see it, make sure you get out there!
Coming in second place with only a 22% dip from last week is that little movie that could, Paranormal Activity. The people behind the marketing for this movie have been brilliant. they knew exactly what they were doing. However, a big piece of the puzzle is that this movie is actually good. The movie will creep you out and you will not listen to the creeks and moans of a house the same way again. The movie has been an enormous success. Period.
At the other end of the scale you need look no further than Saw VI. Despite being a big step up from part five, it fell more than 62% from its debut, which was already below normal for the franchise. Could the series be showing signs of age and fatigue? Or maybe it was just swallowed up by the Paranormal juggernaut? I guess part seven will be real telling with regards to the series' future viability. Perhaps Jigsaw's reign of terror will be coming to an end. With that said, it should be noted that it has already doubled its budget, so it is not like the movie isn't still making money.
Next weekend will be a lot more interesting when four new films enter competition. The top film will likely be Disney's new take on A Christmas Carol. Other new competitors include Richard Kelly's The Box, the alien abduction film The Fourth Kind, and The Men Who Stare at Goats.
Two films dropped off the list this week: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (11) and Zombieland (12).
| This Week | Last Week | Title | Wknd Gross | Overall | Week in release |
| 1 | N | Michael Jackson's This Is It | $23,234,394 | $34,442,926 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Paranormal Activity | $16,387,327 | $84,627,372 | 6 |
| 3 | 4 | Law Abiding Citizen | $7,403,630 | $51,485,280 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 | Couples Retreat | $6,460,525 | $87,026,280 | 4 |
| 5 | 3 | Where the Wild Things Are | $5,931,417 | $62,650,379 | 3 |
| 6 | 2 | Saw VI | $5,270,794 | $22,534,749 | 2 |
| 7 | 6 | Astro Boy | $3,460,651 | $11,316,418 | 2 |
| 8 | 8 | The Stepfather | $3,207,792 | $24,555,801 | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | The Vampire's Assistant | $3,098,185 | $10,809,975 | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Amelia | $3,034,667 | $8,340,499 | 2 |
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