Help—we need a movie
Help—not just any movie
Help—We’re going to see
(The) Help!
This was the refrain of American moviegoers on the way to the movie theater this weekend. For the third straight week, the sentimental Civil Rights tale The Help reigned supreme in the box office derby, earning $19 million over the extended Labor Day weekend and topping a trio of newcomers. The victory pushed The Help’s total gross past $123 million, making it one of the sweetest success stories this year.
I guess it was kind of appropriate that a cadre of working women would triumph on Labor Day. But given the financial climate of the country right now, one would’ve thought The Debt would’ve hit a national nerve, too. Sure, the Helen Mirren thriller snagged a solid $12.6 million to settle comfortably into second place, but its take wasn’t nearly enough to slow The Help’s late-summer run.
Apollo 18 tried to rocket its way into the box office stratosphere with supposed “real footage” of a trip to the moon, á la The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Alas, it only managed to scare potential customers away. It collected $10.9 million and meekly fizzled back to earth. Shark Night 3D (also in 2-D!) daintily nibbled at the scraps left behind by the other three, swimming to $10.3 million to barely beat out Rise of the Planet of the Apes for fourth place.
The Help has had a great run, and considering its take actually grew a bit over last week, it shows no signs of leaving theaters anytime soon. But will its run at the top of the box office end next week, with the star-studded, big-budget Contagion poised to sweep into more than 3,000 theaters?
I guess we’ll see, won’t we?
Recent Comments