The most popular movie in the nation this past weekend was Prisoners, a gritty crime drama starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. In spite of its grim tone, the just-released film took the crown with around $21.4 million over the period, according to industry tracker Box Office Mojo. Prisoners is distributed by Time Warner (TWX) unit Warner Bros.
No. 2 belonged to another dark tale, the horror movie sequel Insidious Chapter 2. Now in its second week in theaters, the film booked ticket receipts of $14.5 million over the weekend, said Box Office Mojo. That put its total take at nearly $61 million, which is more than the original film made over its full theatrical run. Privately held concern FilmDistrict distributes the title.
Coming in third was another second-weeker, mafia comedy The Family. Boosted by the presence of reliable stars Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, the movie brought in roughly $7 million, according to Box Office Mojo data. It is distributed by privately held Relativity Media.
Fourth and fifth place were taken by, respectively, Spanish-language offering Instructions Not Included and Battle of the Year. The former, which was released Aug. 30, raked in $5.7 million. Battle, a fresh release about a dance contest, took in $5 million, which Box Office Mojo said was one of the lowest openings for a film with such a theme. Lions Gate (LGF-A -0.09%) distributes Instructions Not Included, while Battle of the Year is handled by Sony's (SPE) Screen Gems.
