Chihuahuas Lead Weekend Pack

Published by Jeff Leins on October 5, 2008

Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua held off seven other new or wide openers this weekend with an estimated $29 million, the largest October release in the studio’s history.

I know you’re thinking the same thing as me, “Chi-huat-the-hell, how is that number one?” Well, it’s a family film so it already has the kiddie bump, and you never bet against talking animals. It also had very little to compete against with it’s biggest competition coming from last weekend’s holdovers and a modest Michael Cera pic.

Speaking of which, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist did about as expected with $12 million, but was a win for Sony after they only spent $13 million on the teen romantic comedy.

Appaloosa took a surprise jump to fifth place as it expanded from 14 theaters to 1,045 theaters. It made $5 million.

I found out a little more about last week’s surprise #4, Fireproof starring “Growing Pains” kid Kirk Cameron. This week it dropped to eighth, but apparently the flames were fueled by “faith-based action groups” that bought up blocks of tickets for the PG movie. The studio is Sherwood Pictures, a division of a Baptist church in Georgia, who targeted other religious institutions in a successful grassroots campaign. With this success and Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, look for more faith-based releases.

The Michael Moore spoof An American Carol registered near the bottom with $3.8 million. While the more serious documentary Religulous landed in tenth with $3.5 million in just 502 theaters.

Just missing top ten status were a few other openers. Greg Kinnear’s Flash of Genius movie about the guy who invented the windshield wiper made $2.3 million. Sounds like riveting cinema. In 12th was Blindness with $2 million, a disappointment for Miramax who was pushing it everywhere you looked.

But the biggest loser was How to Lose Friend’s and Alienate People starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, and Megan Fox, which tanked in 19th place with only $1.4 million.

1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua $29 million
2. Eagle Eye $17.7 million
3. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist $12 million
4. Nights in Rodanthe $7.4 million
5. Appaloosa $5 million
6. Lakeview Terrace $4.5 million
7. Burn After Reading $4.1 million
8. Fireproof $4.1 million
9. An American Carol $3.8 million
10. Religulous $3.5 million