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»

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum flick snags top spot from 'The Lorax'

(NEWSER) - 21 Jump Street busted the weekend box office with a healthy $35 million take, appealing to both genders and drawing in viewers of all ages, the LA Times reports. No other film debuted nationwide, but in smaller markets Will Ferrell's Casa de Mi Padre banked a solid $2.2 million and Jeff, Who Lives at Home starring Jason Segel scored a middling $840,000. Filling out the top 5 are The Lorax ($22.8 million), John Carter ($13.5), Project X ($4), and A Thousand Words ($3.8), reports Entertainment Weekly . 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»