Box Office - 'Zombieland' Debuts with $25 Million

Already in the black, Zombieland opened with a $25 million weekend, a clear-cut victory for the Woody Harrelson comedy. It all got started with a $9.4 million Friday, and it's a big enough weekend that you can start thinking about how well the film can do over the long haul. It'll be easier to figure that out in another week, but it could top out around $75 - $80 million.

Unfortunately, that's the only movie out this week that has that kind of potential. Drew Barrymore's Whip It should have done about twice as well as it did, finishing outside the top five in a tie with Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. Those films combined made in three days about what Zombieland managed on Friday. Ricky Gervais' The Invention of Lying fared a little better, earning $7.35 million. I would have thought Whip It would have been in that position instead, though. And proving it still has punch, the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3-D re-release finished in third place this weekend with $12.5 million.

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Box Office - 'Zombieland' Dominates Friday

We gave you an indication on Thursday that Zombieland might just pick up momentum and run away with this weekend at the box office, and it's doing exactly that. On Friday, the new zombie comedy made $9.4 million, more than the next three highest-grossing films combined, to put it on course for a mid-$20 million weekend.

As we said earlier in the week, great reviews and public interest were going to be the reason this film took over the top spot from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and that animated flick is a distant second, slightly ahead of the double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, with about $3.7 million. It's hard to say the rest of the field even matters in terms of a discussion of box office performance; the Ricky Gervais comedy, The Invention of Lying, and Drew Barrymore's Whip It will probably make no more than $12 million between them this weekend, so the overall numbers won't be too staggering a couple months from now.

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Movie Review - 'Whip It'

Whip It Starring Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, and Kristen Wiig Directed by Drew Barrymore Rated PG-13

To its credit, Whip It reflects the sunny disposition of its free-spirited director, Drew Barrymore. Making her feature debut behind the camera, Barrymore shows a clear sense of purpose, even in the slightly chaotic world of roller derby. Those of us of a certain age have grown up with Barrymore, either slightly ahead of her or a year or two behind. And even though we have a handle on how old we have become, it is still somewhat difficult to grasp that E.T's Gertie is now 33 years old. Actors who take the plunge and direct often do one of two things, either tackling a film too complex for their abilities – some kind of effort to be a grand artist with each brushstroke – or playing it too close to the vest, which leaves you wondering why it was so important to direct this story in the first place. Neither is the case here. Barrymore infuses Whip It with that ebullient energy she’s known for and tells a story that has the right kind of vibe her skills at this point. But make no mistake: She took the job seriously. You can tell in the quieter moments of the film, usually reserved for Bliss Cavender (Juno’s Ellen Page) and her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), as they battle over what a 17-year-old girl who feels trapped in her own existence should be doing with her time.

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Fearless Forecast - Zombies, Zombies, Everywhere

The biggest zombie movie ever in terms of total box office was the remake of Dawn of the Dead, directed by Zack Snyder and featuring one of the best extending openings in horror movie history. But the sub-genre has a proud history, which according to Box Office Mojo, has earned about $600 million over the years. Considering the low budgets and niche audience, that's anything but undead.

So the question this week is whether or not Zombieland can become the latest in a fairly short line of zombie movies to win the box office. To do it, the film will need to defeat Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which is still enjoying a healthy run. The numbers aren't as big as we normally see for a Pixar or a DreamWorks cartoon, but Sony spent about half of what its competitors normally do, so it doesn't need to make as much in return. The odds are about even for Zombieland and Meatballs to win. In Zombieland's favor are, in all seriousness, some of the best reviews of the year. That helped The Hangover crash the party in June and I have a feeling it could do the same thing here. I wouldn't say it's primed for a $40 million weekend, but if it hits $23 million or so, I wouldn't be terribly surprised, although it would shock me if it did less than $15 million based on the word of mouth.

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Nationwide 'Whip It!' Sneak Previews This Weekend

If you're really looking forward to Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It!, then you don't necessarily have to wait until next weekend to see it. The folks at Fox Searchlight, clever marketers of smaller films that they are, is hosting 500 sneak previews this weekend. Normally, you'll see sneaks mentioned in TV ads, but there's very little information beyond that. For Whip It!, Searchlight has a webpage dedicated to where you can see the film this Saturday night, as well as a Facebook destination, too, if, for some reason, that's more to your liking. The movie is Saturday night, though the time varies by location, so check the listings in your area. Also, I imagine the studio wants you to spread the word to your friends scattered hither and yon, so forward the link. Oh, here's a bonus: Free t-shirts. That raises a good point, though, because if you have attended promotional screenings in the past, you usually get a pass for two or something. This is a paid sneak preview, so it's just like you're watching the movie next weekend instead. The Searchlight link takes you to an online ticketing hub, too, so once you find a theater that suits you, you'll be in the pipeline.