Halloween Slashes the Competition

Low-budget teen comedy rakes in $31.2M at box office despite R rating

(NEWSER) - Ribald teen romp "Superbad" triumphed at the box office this weekend, raking in $31.2 million despite an R rating and a modest budget under $20 million, reports Variety. It marks the seventh biggest opening for an R-rated comedy, edging out Judd Apatow's other summer hit, "Knocked Up," which opened in June and has earned $147 million to date. More»

Critics yawn over Rob Zombie's horror remake

(NEWSER) - Dimension Films refused to screen Rob Zombie's Halloween II for critics—which is looking like a wise move based on the reviews coming out:

• "Creatively comatose, even by the standards of a sequel to a remake," writes Rob Nelson in Variety. "Zombie's hatchet job on the series he revived so artfully two years ago plays like a violent act of euthanasia upon the huge, brain-dead body of work inspired by the 30-year-old Halloween."

Bored, oversaturated audiences flee horror flicks

(NEWSER) - Hollywood horror flicks are failing to rake in the cash at the box office, the LA Times reports, and some execs are starting to fear a spreading gore-phobia. Hollywood upped its horror output this year, banking on the films' relatively inexpensive production costs and traditionally stellar box-office performances to translate into fat profit margins. But audiences are failing to show. More»

Earns $41M yesterday, on track for $100M weekend

(AP) - Toy Story 3 has become the favorite plaything for moviegoers as the animated sequel heads to a $100-million-plus opening weekend. The latest hit from Disney's Pixar Animation took in $41 million in its first day yesterday, according to studio estimates. That puts Toy Story 3 on track to join Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third as the only animated films to top $100 million in their debut weekends. More»

It's well above expectations, on track for March record

(AP) - Audiences are just mad about Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, helping it earn a whopping $41 million in its first day. After its big start yesterday, the 3D Disney release should be on track for a $100 million weekend, well above expectations. It could end up being the second-biggest opening outside of summer, notes the LA Times , behind only The Twilight Saga: Next Moon. More»