Firefly

From Boxofficemojo.com :

-------------------------------------Weekend gross---theaters...per theater..total gross---week
1 (1) Flightplan BV .........................$15,038,000 ..... 3,424 - $4,391 $46,145,000 - 2
2 (N) Serenity Uni. .........................$10,141,000 ..... 2,188 - $4,634 $10,141,000 $39 1
3 (2) Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride WB $9,755,000 ....... 3,204 - $3,044 $32,910,000 - 3
4 (18) A History of Violence NL ........$8,200,000 ...... 1,340 - $6,119 $8,969,000 - 2
5 (N) Into the Blue Sony .................$7,000,000 ....... 2,789 - $2,509 $7,000,000 - 1

Foster’s ’Flightplan’ still tops at box office

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jodie Foster stayed aloft at the North American box office for a second weekend as her airplane thriller "Flightplan" outdistanced some low-flying competition and overall sales ended a four-week winning streak.

The Walt Disney Co. release sold $15 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning September 30, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday. The film’s 10-day haul rose to $46.2 million, and industry observers believe it could add about $30 million by the time its run ends.

Foster stars as a mother who manages to lose her daughter aboard a transatlantic flight. The film generated some additional publicity last week when labor unions representing most of the nation’s 90,000 flight attendants urged their members to boycott it since it portrays a stewardess and a U.S. air marshal as terrorists.

The top 10 contained three new releases, and one film entering the top tier in its second weekend.

"Serenity," a film based on the short-lived Western-flavored sci-fi TV series "Firefly," opened at No. 2 with $10.1 million, a figure within the modest expectations of its distributor, Universal Pictures. It marks the feature directing debut of "Firefly" creator Joss Whedon.

The animated fable "Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride" slipped one place to No. 3 with $9.8 million in its second weekend of wide release. The total for the Warner Bros. release rose to $32.9 million.

"A History of Violence," a thriller starring Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello as a small-town couple terrorized by some gangsters, jumped 14 places to No. 4 with $8.2 million in its first weekend of wide release. The New Line Cinema release was directed by Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg, and has earned $9 million after 10 days.

The surfing picture "Into the Blue," a showcase for the buff bodies of Jessica Alba and Paul Walker, wiped out at No. 5 with $7 million. The film was inherited by Columbia Pictures after its Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). parent led a group that acquired the assets of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer earlier this year.

Disney’s true-life golf saga "The Greatest Game Ever Played," about an amateur who defeated the defending champion at the 1913 U.S. Open, teed off at No. 9 with $3.8 million.

The best of the limited-release rookies was "Capote," a critically hailed picture starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as noted writer Truman Capote. The Sony Pictures Classics release grossed $349,000 from 12 theaters, and will expand nationwide on October 28.

Not so promising was "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," starring Julianne Moore as a 1950s housewife who supports her large family by winning jingle-writing contests. The film, from closely held DreamWorks SKG, earned $155,000 from 41 theaters.

After four "up" weekends, overall sales were down from the year-ago period, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The top 12 films grossed $75.3 million, down 25 percent from last year, when the animated "Shark Tale" opened at No. 1 with $47.6 million.

Universal Pictures is a unit of NBC Universal, which is controlled by General Electric Co.

From Boxofficeprophets.com :

By John Hamann

Pulling up in second this weekend is Serenity, Josh Whedon’s take on what a space opera is in 2005. Serenity did pkay over its opening frame, grossing $10.1 million, thanks mostly to the cult success of its creator and its originating TV Series called Firefly. Notable here is that the venue count was actually quite low for an sci-fi flick at only 2,188. That gives Serenity the second best venue average in the top ten at $4,634, which means it stays ahead of new films despite having fewer screens in the per venue battle. We often talk about how the second weekend of a film’s release is so crucial, and it’s even more important in this case. Because this movie is based on a TV show that only a renegade few watched and stars no one mainstream audiences would know, the second weekend drop could be inherently precipitous. However, Serenity does seem to have reviews and word-of-mouth on its side. At RottenTomatoes, a much higher than expected 80% of critics gave this one a thumbs up, a number I certainly did not think it would see. Not only is this one fresh in the critics’ eyes, but also in the Users of RottenTomatoes. Signed-up users of the review compilation Web site combine to give this a 92% fresh rating. Sure, it may just be a bunch of freaks and geeks, but remember that this same demo made Napoleon Dynamite a $44.5 million winner against a production budget of $400,000. Universal and partners spent a small $40 million on Serenity, a good investment for this kind of opening weekend. If it doesn’t drop crazily next weekend, a franchise could be born. Ah hell, with this sort of open it’s probably a franchise already. A decent follow up weekend probably makes it a trilogy. It worked for Transporter 2, so there’s no reason not to do it here.