All three new releases this weekend faced unimpressive debuts and could not surpass holdovers “Gravity” and “Captain Phillips,” which claimed the first and second spots, respectively.

Sony Pictures’ newest film “Carrie” opened in third place this week with a mediocre $16.1 million. The lower-than-expected opening is surprising, given the fact that the film is the only horror movie opening in October, which is typically a time when a large number of horror films are released.

The film is a remake of the original 1976 high school fright tale, and while Sony targeted the film toward teens and young adults, it failed to actually attract moviegoers. Though the studio presented the film as a supernatural thriller in advertisements, in reality, the film is a painful story about high school bullying and child abuse. It’s not exactly the supernatural, empowering tale you’d expect.

While the film should perform adequately through Halloween, it is unlikely it will make more than $40 million. This is not ideal for Sony, which spent $30 million to make the film in addition to another $10-15 million on prints and advertising. That being said, in its theater run, “Carrie” will most likely break even. It could also make a minor profit through ancillary markets and later showings on TV.

With an even less impressive debut, Lionsgate Entertainment’s “Escape Plan” took the fourth spot with a low $9.9 million. The film stars former box office kings Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who have seen their last few films underperform at the box office (aside from the “Expendables” franchise).

While the debut of “Escape Plan” is more than this year’s solo films’ openings for Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head” ($4.5 million) and Schwarzenegger’s “The Last Stand” ($6.3 million), that’s not saying much. Stallone and Schwarzenegger do not seem to be good investments anymore, which should not disappoint many action fans since both actors are almost 70 years old. The real disappointment is for Lionsgate, which invested $50 million in the film. Given this weekend’s poor opening, the film is unlikely to make more than $30 million.

The final new release in the top 10 came from DreamWorks Pictures’ “The Fifth Estate,” which claimed the eighth spot with only $1.8 million from 1,769 theaters, making it this year’s worst start for a movie shown at more than 1,500 theaters. The film needed terrific reviews and Oscar buzz from the festival circuit to break out and attract moviegoers. Unfortunately, it received neither, which is most likely why DreamWorks scrapped its plan for a platform release and decided to just open the film in wide release this weekend.

Simply put, the WikiLeaks film likely had little appeal. Audiences did not want to spend money on a story they heard countless times from last year’s news. Based on the opening, “The Fifth Estate” will probably end up making no more than $5 million, which is not good news for DreamWorks, as they spent an estimated $28 million to make the film.

Published on October 23, 2013 at 12:02 am