The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend, and you can read a full write-up on The Weekend Warrior Blog. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.
For the past two years, every time October comes to a close, the box office report nearly wrote itself thanks to a certain unstoppable horror franchise, and this year was no exception as the fourth chapter Saw IV (Lionsgate) opened with slightly less than the last chapter, an estimated $32.1 million, after making nearly the same amount as its predecessor on Friday. Opening in a strong second was Peter Hedges’ Dan in Real Life (Touchstone), starring Steve Carell, with an estimated $12 million, proving that strong and smart counter-programming to the established horror franchise could do well among the audiences neglected by the gory R-rated option.
