The unusually clement weather has no doubt put most of us in good spirits this last week, but even the glee of lobstered British sun-worshippers can’t compare with the run Shia LaBeouf is currently enjoying. Having been officially added to the Indy IV roster last week, LaBeouf’s new film, Disturbia, surged into the number one spot at the US box office.
The Rear Window riff fought off all comers to take an impressive $23 million over the weekend, while the week’s other debuting thriller, Perfect Stranger (powered by Bruce Willis and Halle Berry), languished in fourth place with a rather less exciting $11m. And if you think LaBoeuf’s smirking now, just wait until Transformers comes crashing through the ceiling.
Will Ferrell’s Blades of Glory remained suitably glorious with a respectable $14m in second place, while Meet the Robinsons retained its mojo once again, holding third with $12m.
But, we’re sorry to say, that’s where the good news ends. Pathfinder finally opened with a lowly $4.8m proving that even Vikings fighting Indians isn't enough to get people out of the house these days. But worse than that is the grim reality that Tarantino and Rodriguez’s prayers went wholly unanswered with Grindhouse failing to rally after last week’s paltry Easter opening. Instead, the double-hitter took a nosedive of 63% to a lamentable $4.2 million, trailing apologetically behind The Reaping, which suffered a similarly unimpressive downturn.
What this means for Grindhouse, we can’t be sure but rumour has it the Weinsteins may look to follow the format laid out for non English-language countries and split the feature in two for the rest of the US run. It’s a sorry state of affairs to be sure, but let’s cling to the hope that the film can whip up enough international success to warrant a re-release somewhere down the line. In the meantime, here’s the full extent of the damage:
This Week % Last 1 Disturbia $23,025,000 - - 2
Blades of Glory
$143,065,000 -37.6% 1 3
Meet The Robinsons
$12,103,000 -27.6%
2 4
Perfect Stranger
$11,500,000 - - 5
Are We Done Yet?
$9,200,000 -35.5% 3 6
Pathfinder
$4,800,000 - - 7
Wild Hogs
$4,639,000 -30.2% 7 8
The Reaping
$4,565,000 -54.5% 5 9
300
$4,315,000 -48.4% 6 10
Grindhouse $4,239,000 -63.4% 4