It took a three time Academy Award nominated director and two Academy Award winning actors to break the Fall $40 million mark, breaking the post-summer doldrums and announcing that the winter holiday hits are on their way. American Gangster hauled in a generous $46 million to take the number one spot on the weekend. Of course, the real gamble here wasn't whether or not this movie would turn a tidy profit (though that might be a struggle with all those powerhouse salaries) but whether or not anyone involved might get another Oscar nom out of it.
Meanwhile, Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie, which weighed in with a hefty budget of $150 million (just $10 million shy of animated budget record holder Shrek The Third), splattered itself all over the box office windshield at second place with an unexciting $39 million. DreamWorks was probably hoping for a slightly stronger opening as the movie is likely to die fast in the wake of all those holiday films that begin rolling out next week.
New Line, who hasn't had much success with hit movies this year, struck out again with the sweet but sloppy Martian Child. The film rolled into seventh place overall, right behind The Game Plan, an awful movie that has somehow kept itself in the box office ten for six weeks now.
For the full weekend totals check out the chart below.
