'Texas Chainsaw,' with Bill Moseley, was No. 1 at the box office this weekend.(Photo: Justin Lubin, Lionsgate via AP)
LOS ANGELES -- Leatherface has chainsawed The Hobbit off his box-office perch.
The latest sequel in the bloody film series, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3-D, reaped $23 million in its first weekend, according to studio estimates, knocking the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy down to third place with $17.5 million in its fourth week.
"Nobody expected Texas Chainsaw"
to reach the top, says Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com. "And we
were foolish not to. These horror movies do really well, and this is one
of the biggest brands. Young moviegoers clearly wanted a scare to start
the new year, (and) nothing says Happy New Year's like a leather mask
and a chain saw."
Django Unchained came in second with $20.1 million, and a two-week total of $106.4 million. The Hobbit has rolled up $263.8 million in the USA and about $800 million worldwide since its release Dec. 14.
Overall
business this weekend came in at $149 million, up 7% from the same
period last year. But with strong business on New Year's Day, Hollywood
already has raked in $254.2 million, 33% ahead of last year. "It's clear
we are keeping the box office momentum from last year," Dergarabedian
says.
Les Miserables was fourth with $16.1 million and a total of $103.6 million in two weeks. Parental Guidance was fifth with $10.1 million.
MORE: The weekend's top 10 films
Chainsaw
is "one of those that survives each generation. It's something that
continues to come back and entertain its audience," said Richie Fay,
head of distribution for studio Lionsgate. And it drew a hefty 84% of
its business from 3-D screenings.
In narrower release, Matt Damon drama Promised Land
had a slow start in its nationwide debut, coming in at No. 10 with $4.3
million after opening in limited release a week earlier.
Final figures are due Monday.
USA Today