HOLLYWOOD – Make it four in a row for Paramount Pictures and its DreamWorks Pictures division.
Their thriller “Disturbia” topped the movie-industry box office for the second consecutive weekend, grossing $13.5 million in the United States and Canada, according to Sunday’s studio estimates. The surprise hit, starring Shia LaBeouf, came on the heels of the studio’s goofy comedy “Blades of Glory,” which also ranked No. 1 in its first two weekends.
The PG-13 “Disturbia,” in which the up-and-coming LaBeouf plays a troubled young man who suspects that his neighbor is a serial killer, dropped a relatively slight 39 percent despite competition from two new R-rated thrillers: “Fracture” and “Vacancy.” “We’ve got the younger demographic with Shia and the PG-13 rating, and the movie has gotten good reviews,” DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy said.
A crisp marketing campaign focusing on the LaBeouf character’s voyeurism also has attracted audiences, he said.
It was the fourth consecutive No. 1 ranking for Paramount and DreamWorks, whose Will Ferrell comedy “Blades of Glory” had topped the charts for two weekends in a row.
After mixed results in 2006, Paramount leads domestic distributors in market share so far this year, according to researcher ShowBizData.com, with a slim edge over Warner Bros.
New Line Cinema’s “Fracture,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, opened a solid No. 2 with an estimated $11.2 million in weekend ticket sales.
That was at the high end of expectations for the murder mystery, said David Tuckerman, the studio’s distribution president.
“The idea was to get established and navigate our way through into May,” he said. “We’re in good shape.” The film, which has earned solid reviews, is aimed at adult audiences.
Sony Pictures’ horror-thriller “Vacancy,” which had been expected to vie for the top position in a three-way race, instead opened No. 4 with an estimated $7.6 million.
The picture, starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson as bickering spouses trapped in an isolated motel and fighting for their lives, was hurt by the surprising strength of “Disturbia” in the marketplace, said Rory Bruer, the studio’s president of domestic distribution.
But Bruer said Sony would “come out OK” financially on the film, which cost about $19 million to make.
Not surprisingly, he said the studio was eagerly awaiting the start of the summer moviegoing season.
Sony’s “Spider-Man 3” kicks off Hollywood’s extended summer season when it opens May 4, and prognosticators are looking for the big-budget sequel to post a blockbuster opening weekend that could top $100 million.
Theater owners and other studios also are looking ahead. Overall ticket sales of $85 million were off 22 percent from the same weekend in 2006, according to research firm Media By Numbers. Year-to-date, revenue is up 4.7 percent, and attendance has inched up 2.4 percent.
Two other major films were launched over the weekend.
The crime comedy “Hot Fuzz,” described by some as a British variation on “Bad Boys,” came out of its opening weekend in sixth place, with an estimated $5.8 million.
That was a robust debut for the release from Universal Pictures’ Focus Features arm, considering that the film debuted at 825 venues.
“Hot Fuzz” averaged about $7,000 per theater, highest in the top 10.
Warner Bros.’ “In the land of Women” had the weakest opening among major new releases, grossing an estimated $4.9 million at more than 2,000 theaters. The romantic comedy-drama stars Adam Brody as a brokenhearted writer caring for his ailing grandmother.
Among holdover films, the ice-skating comedy “Blades of Glory” continued to rack up solid sales, ranking third for the weekend and topping $100 million in total receipts through four weekends.
This Friday’s notable releases include “Next,” a science-fiction thriller starring Nicolas Cage; the teenage mystery “The Invisible”; the action thriller “The Condemned,” starring wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin; and the break-dancing comedy “Kickin’ It Old Skool.”
