Seventy-eight-year-old Clint Eastwood continues to be a big draw at the box office — in fact, he’s bigger than ever. The actor-director’s latest action-drama, Gran Torino, was No. 1 on the first competitive weekend of 2009, grossing $29 million, according to Sunday’s estimates. That’s by far the highest single-weekend total of Eastwood’s esteemed six-decade Hollywood career. The film has been a hit since it debuted in limited release a month ago; this was its first frame playing wide. Its total domestic sum now stands at $40.1 mil. And, with a CinemaScore grade of A and possible Oscar nominations down the road, Gran Torino seems fueled and ready for a long ride through theaters.
Newcomer Bride Wars was a solid No. 2, with $21.5 mil, a totally expected take that’s on par with the first-weekend figures for costar Kate Hudson’s Fool’s Gold ($21.6 mil) and You, Me & Dupree ($21.5 mil), as well as costar Anne Hathaway’s The Princess Diaries ($22.9 mil) and The Princess Diaries 2 ($23 mil). Being the only film of its genre at the multiplex these days, and with an A- CinemaScore review from audiences, Bride Wars should also be hanging around for some time.
Fellow freshman flick The Unborn, meanwhile, scared up a sweet sum of it’s own: $21.1 mil, which landed it at No. 3. (In fact, the horror film could switch rankings with Bride Wars when the weekend’s final tallies are released on Monday.) Despite a B- CinemaScore mark, the movie certainly exceeded expectations.
Marley & Me (No. 4 with $11.4 mil) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (No. 5 with $9.5 mil) rounded out the top five. And the weekend’s other wide release, Not Easily Broken, easily found itself at No. 9, grossing an impressive $5.6 mil in just 724 venues.
Overall, the cumulative box office haul was up a hefty 14 percent from the same frame a year ago (when The Bucket List was the big winner), making this the third “up” weekend in a row. A nice way to start 2009, indeed.
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EW.com’s Box Office Chart
Box Office Preview: Will audiences fall for Bride Wars?
Batman was a blockbuster, but did 2008 bomb?
Marley & Me wins for a second straight week
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Comments (1-18) of 18 Add your comment
Josh,
I have to ask, are your predictions ever right? Week to week you keep dropping the ball Josh.
I’m glad Clint Eastwood is #1. He actually DESERVES to be #1
Being a life long fan of Mr. Eastwood (both in front of the camera and behind) it’s difficult for me to write that I would be OK if he made this film his swan song. What a remarkable bookend Gran Torino would be to his remarkable career. He truly is in top form here… just amazing to behold.
Great Movie! It was nice to see a movie that kept you interested from start to finish. It made you laugh, cry and everyone applauded in the theater. Clint Eastwood is a great actor to write, direct, produce and star in his own film. WOW!!
FABULOUS MOVIE! Best Eastwood film ever!
Go easy on Josh, it was a crazy weekend! That being said, I don’t know if Clint Eastwood “continues to be a big draw at the box office” is actually true… I mean, between Changeling ($35 million), Flags Of Our Father ($33 M), and Letters From Iwo Jima ($13 M), I see Gran Torino’s great debut as a much needed return to box office glory for Eastwood!
More and more, though, The Box Office Junkie ( http://theboxofficejunkie.com ) is becoming my go-to blog for box office news.
told ya not to underestimate the power of a well marketed horror film!
It is shocking to see ‘The Unborn’ pull in that big dollar figure but with its homage to the crab crawling, head twisting figure climbing up the stairs, reminiscent of the Uncut version of ‘The Exorcist,’ I’m not surprised. It’s the clincher in the trailer that reels in impressionable minds. I’m not convinced that the film is a good scary story, yet. Word of mouth from family, friends, and associates is still always the best indicator and that will either help it or kill it by next weekend. Another stunner in the top ten, ‘Not Easily Broken’, already made back its entire budget and then some while playing in less than a thousand theaters. Remarkable!
How funny! The writer of this column totally ignored the fact that his predictions were way off!!!!! Loser.
Good bookend to his career? To do that his last film would have to be a giant spider movie:)
LOL… true or the Creature from the Black Lagoon; speaking of bookends.
FSUGIS – LOL
True or the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
& very well deserved. I heard great things about this movie so I went to see it & LOVED IT. It made me laugh, think, & appreciate the life I have.
Mr. Eastwood–Congratulations.
Per David’s comment:
`How funny! The writer of this column totally ignored the fact that his predictions were way off!!!!! Loser.-
Joshua Rich is almost always way off and he rarely acknowledges it.
So happy art (Gran Torino) beat out crap (Bride Wars, The Unborn)!
Yeah, it was Listen 2 This. I liked those, but then they started not being exclusively about music, (they started to include video games & comic books too) http://carpet-cleaning.emenace.com/autobiogc4/25.html carpet inn red undefined
clint eastwood played my Dad in Grand Torino! He is a korean vet. living at 87. Survival of war purple silver heart (the freezer clip, mother (daisy) Marine)still has snakes from war!! my dad would be honored to meet Clint! He is and always for the for the underdog. mother was religious, was very sick, dad never married. There is a book written on my dad. “They say there was a war” He lived everything Clint brought to the film. I give you Clint Eastwood the Academy award!! Im 61 yrs old, I lived and know this father. Clint would be amazed how perfect he portrayed him. My father has the mind of a 60yr old. He had cancer at 80. My dad has been for the underdog all his life. The only difference I know he is an honorable wonderful father. You Clint Eastwood are the most amazing actor I have known in my life time! I am lost for words about your performance. No one would ever know that this man still exist! Thank you! For bringing the truth with sensitivity and respect to these war heros!!
yes, to add to my last comment. my dad also had a real shot gun story, that brought back memories of clint eastwood. He never loaded a gun again. He had endured many things over a life time because of his heroic milatery service. We are lucky Americans and must not forget it!!!