Chalk it up to the odd physics of open space. How else can we explain how Gravity fell all the way up to first place?
Well, maybe the movie itself might’ve had a little something to do with Gravity’s high-flying orbit to No. 1 this weekend. The space thriller hurtled to an estimated $55.6 million—a mark where no October film has gone before. It also rocketed stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock (not exactly strangers to box office success) to their biggest openings ever.
With Gravity generating that sort of Newtonian pull, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 never had a shot at hanging onto the top spot. The delightful family tale still made a tidy $21.5 million—just a 37% drop from the previous week—but it wasn’t even half of what Gravity gathered.
Meanwhile Runner Runner, the other movie to debut in wide release, couldn’t even reach orbit. The Ben Affleck/Justin Timberlake adventure collected just $7.6 million, a crash-and-burn introductory frame that Box Office Mojo described as “one of the worst openings ever.” Still, it did manage to claim third place for the weekend, pushing Prisoners ($5.7 million) to fourth. Rush wrapped up the Top 5 with $4.4 million, nudging out sophomore holdovers Don Jon and Baggage Claim for the honors.
Grace Unplugged, a Christian movie in new release, collected about $1 million—strong enough to finish 15th at the box office.
Final figures update: 1. Gravity, $55.8 million; 2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, $21 million; 3. Runner Runner, $7.7 million; 4. Prisoners, $5.7 million; 5. Rush, $4.5 million.
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