The adult drama “Prisoners†(Warner Brothers) was the No. 1 film at North American theaters over the weekend, taking in about $21.4 million, far ahead of “Insidious: Chapter 2†(FilmDistrict), which dropped sharply from its debut last week to place second with $14.5 million. The strong performance for “Prisoners†- which cost Alcon Entertainment about $46 million to make according to Boxofficemojo.com and stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal - was particularly impressive given its dark subject matter centered around a child-kidnapping plot and the movie’s long running time.
“The Family†(Relativity) was third at $7 million, for a two-week total of $25.6 million according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. In fourth place, the Spanish-language comedy “Instructions Not Included†(Lionsgate) continued its successful, semi-limited run with $5.7 million and has now collected more than $34 million in four weeks. That total makes “Instructions Not Included†the fifth highest-grossing foreign film of all time at the North American box office, before adjusting for inflation, surpassing “Amélie†(2001) and closing in on “Pan’s Labyrinth†(2006).
The 3-D dance movie “Battle of the Year†(Sony/Screen Gems) was out of step with audiences and finished in fifth place at $5 million, an underwhelming figure below even the most modest of expectations. The film was made for $20 million.
