David Fincher's thriller "Gone Girl" secured the top spot at the box office for a second week, outdrawing several new releases.
The film, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, collected $26.8 million for distributor 21st Century Fox in the U.S. and Canada, Rentrak Corp. said in an emailed statement. "Dracula Untold," a new release from Universal, came in second with $23.5 million. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" placed third in its debut while "The Judge," also new, came in fifth.
"Gone Girl," based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, has taken in $78.3 million in domestic theaters since its release on Oct. 3, Rentrak said. The film, whose twisting plot line delves into domestic violence, has generated buzz and talk of Oscar nominations. It received 87 percent positive reviews from critics tracked by the website RottenTomatoes.com, and a 91 percent rating from moviegoers.
"You can't put a price on the type of buzz 'Gone Girl' has built," Phil Contrino, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, said in a telephone interview. "It's one of those movies where, if you haven't seen it, you're left out of the conversation. It's no surprise that it's holding up as well as it has, and it should continue to do well for the next couple of weeks."
"Gone Girl" tells the story of New York writer Nick Dunne and his wife Amy, whose relationship falls apart after they move to Missouri to look after Dunne's sick mother. When Amy goes missing, Dunne is suspected of murdering her.
It's shaping up to be one of the biggest films yet for Fincher, whose credits include "The Social Network," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "Fight Club." "Gone Girl" had a production budget of $61 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Ticket revenue is split with theaters.
Studios are offering moviegoers a diverse set of choices, providing "interesting audience dynamics with women making news by being the dominant moviegoer for some of the top films," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Rentrak. Some new releases are suffering at the box office as the audience fragments, he said.
"Dracula Untold," from Comcast's Universal Pictures, is an origin story that shows how Vlad the Impaler became the blood-thirsty Dracula. The film stars Luke Evans, who was also featured in "Fast & Furious 6" and "The Hobbit" series, as the cursed man who undergoes the transformation to become immortal.
The film, which also stars Dominic Cooper and Charles Dance, had a budget of $70 million, according to Box Office Mojo. It failed to enthrall critics, generating 26 percent positive reviews, according to RottenTomatoes.com. It was forecast to generate $15.5 million on its debut.
Disney's "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" took in $19.1 million in its domestic debut. The comedy stars Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner and was written by Rob Lieber and directed by Miguel Arteta.
The film was well received by critics, generating 66 percent positive reviews, according RottenTomatoes.com.
Based on the children's book, the movie tells the story of 11-year-old Alexander, played by Ed Oxenbould, as he experiences a day filled with calamities. He soon learns he is not alone as his mother, played by Garner, and father, Carell, also have a difficult time.
Warner Bros.' "The Judge," the other new release, took in $13.3 million in domestic theaters. It stars Robert Downey Jr. as big-city lawyer Hank Palmer, who returns home to a small town. Robert Duvall plays his estranged father, who is the town's judge and suspected of murder.
The film cost the studio $50 million to make, according to Box Office Mojo. "The Judge" garnered 47 percent positive reviews, according to RottenTomatoes.com. It was forecast to generate $13 million in its debut, according to Boxoffice.com.
"I wouldn't necessarily blame Robert Downey Jr. as much as I would a lack of Oscar buzz for the movie," Contrino said. "This time of year, people want a movie like 'The Judge' to get the types of glowing reviews you'd expect for adult-skewing fall releases. This one fell short of that."
Warner Bros.' horror film "Annabelle" fell to fourth place from second in its second week, generating another $16.4 million in sales.
Weekend sales for the top 10 films rose 29 percent to $133 million from a year earlier. Sales for the year to date have fallen 4.2 percent to $8.1 billion.
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