Big budget doesn't always equal big success and small budget doesn't always mean small returns. That's a lesson Hollywood's not quick to pick up on but this weekend one studio profited from it. Sony/Tristar only dropped $30 million for sci-fi venture District 9 but within its first weekend the film took in $37 million and the number one spot at the box office.
Compare that with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra which has struggled under the weight of a massive special-effects laden $175 million budget. After two weekends it still has yet to break the $100 million mark in domestic sales and only thanks to a boost from international moviegoers is it looking to break into the black. The Joes managed $22 million this weekend but not before dropping a painful 60% from last weekend's sales.
The Time Traveler's Wife debuted in third place with $19 million marking the highest cash opening for a film headlining Rachel McAdams. Comedy disappointment The Goods: Live Hard, Sell hard failed to generate laughs and generated even less ticket sales with only $5.3 million. In sixth place it barely beat out 5 week old Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which looks to break the $300 million line by next weekend and overtake Up to be the number two movie of the year to date (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen still has a death grip on number one with nearly $400 million earned domestic).
Acclaimed animator Hayao Miyazaki's latest offering Ponyo, which has already banked $183 million internationally, finally opened in the U.S. this weekend. Showing in fewer than 1,000 theaters it still made $3.5 million taking ninth place.
For the full weekend totals check out the chart below.
| 1. | District 9 * | $37,000,000 - | Total: $37,000,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 3,049 |
| 2. | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | $22,500,000 - | Total: $98,753,000 | LW: 1 WR: 2 THTRS: 4,007 |
| 3. | The Time Traveler's Wife * | $19,205,000 - | Total: $19,205,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 2,988 |
| 4. | Julie & Julia | $12,400,000 - | Total: $43,684,000 | LW: 2 WR: 2 THTRS: 2,354 |
| 5. | G-Force | $6,908,000 - | Total: $99,049,000 | LW: 3 WR: 4 THTRS: 3,065 |
| 6. | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard * | $5,350,000 - | Total: $5,350,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 1,838 |
| 7. | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | $5,155,000 - | Total: $283,893,000 | LW: 4 WR: 5 THTRS: 2,771 |
| 8. | The Ugly Truth | $4,500,000 - | Total: $77,502,000 | LW: 6 WR: 4 THTRS: 2,733 |
| 9. | Ponyo * | $3,506,000 - | Total: $3,506,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 927 |
| 10. | (500) Days of Summer | $3,025,000 - | Total: $17,955,000 | LW: 9 WR: 5 THTRS: 1,048 |
