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Movie Monday: Dead Heat

 Dead Heat? You may be asking yourself right now. I never saw any trailers for any movie called Dead Heat. What, did Hollywood remake a little-seen, R-rated 1988 cop/zombie comedy starring Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo?

No, no. Hollywood isn’t quite that bereft of new ideas yet. We don’t expect to see a remake of Dead Heat until 2016 or thereabouts. (Expect Adam Sandler and Taylor Kitsch to star.) Rather, we’re referring to the battle brewing at the top of the box office. At the moment—and during a particularly lifeless weekend at the local cineplex—the winner is just too close to call.

Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal’s dark, R-rated thriller, earned an estimated $10.9 million this weekend. Box Office Mojo has the dead-eyed drama squeaking to the win at the moment by about 9,000 bucks—less than Gyllenhaal’s Nightcrawler character makes selling grotesque news footage.

But when final figures are released later today, the tables could turn. Last week’s winner, Ouija, also earned about $10.9 million, its earnings likely goosed by moviegoers searching for a Halloween thrill. So will the movie about the creepy cameraman triumph over the movie about the creepy board game? Check in later today (or tomorrow morning, if you’d rather, we’re not picky) for the answer.

In the midst of all the uncertainty over No. 1 and 2, Fury nailed down third place with $9.1 million. Gone Girl continues to stubbornly stick around the Top Five, collecting $8.8 million, and The Book of Life found just a little life in this dead weekend, grabbing another $8.3 million.

Speaking of dead, this wrap-up of the box office weekend would not be complete without a mention of the 10th anniversary re-release of Saw, which we blogged about on Friday. The original torture porn flick died a quick and bloody death in theaters, earning a truly horrific $650,000—or $315 per theater.

Final figures update: 1. Ouija, $10.7 million; 2. Nightcrawler, $10.4 million; 3. Fury, $8.8 million; 4. Gone Girl, $8.4 million; 5. The Book of Life, $8.2 million.