Ouija scares up about $20 million

LOS ANGELES -- Ouija grossed about $20 million at the box office last weekend and outspooked the Keanu Reeves action film John Wick, while Birdman and St. Vincent also performed strongly as they expanded to more theaters.

Based on the Hasbro game, Ouija follows a group of friends who look to the board for answers after one of their friends who had played with the board is killed in an accident. Universal Pictures had projected that the PG-13 film, which cost just $5 million to make, would open at $18 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters.

"This was the perfect release date leading up to Halloween," said Universal's head of distribution, Nikki Rocco. "We knew Halloween, on a Friday, would not be a great box office day."

Two weeks ago, Universal released a 20-second trailer for the movie on popular app Snapchat to market the film to teenage audiences. Despite poor reviews for the film, the digital marketing campaign succeeded in attracting a huge teen turnout: About 68 percent of moviegoers were younger than 21. Females made up 61 percent of audiences.

John Wick, distributed by Lionsgate, exceeded tracking expectations of a $10 million opening. The film's $14.4 million weekend included a better than expected Imax turnout, with 18 percent of its ticket sales coming from its 347 Imax screens.

The R-rated film follows an ex-hitman (Reeves) who comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who took everything from him. It drew a 60 percent male audience, and about 77 percent of moviegoers were older than 25. Critics were almost universally positive, and the film received a B grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore.

The World War II film Fury fell to third in its second weekend. It pulled in almost $13.4 million, raising its total gross to about $46.4 million.

The Bill Murray vehicle St. Vincent saw success in its nationwide rollout. The Weinstein Co. and Chernin Entertainment film came in sixth with $7.7 million, raising its three-week total to about $9 million. The film follows a cranky old man who comes to realize the meaning of his life through the help of a lonely 12-year-old neighbor.

"It was right where we figured it would come in," said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for the Weinstein Co.

Lomis said it showed great strength in smaller markets such as Boston, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. The film drew a 60 percent female audience, and about 72 percent of moviegoers were older than 35.

"That speaks toward the playability and the appeal it has in middle, small-town America," Lomis said. "Which in my view and experience will indicate it has very good legs."

In limited release, Birdman continued to soar in 18 new markets and 46 theaters for a total of 50 locations. The film grossed about $1.4 million in its second weekend, with a per screen average of $27,593. The film's gross to date is about $2 million.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak, are:

1. Ouija, Universal, $19,875,995, 2,858 locations, $6,955 average, $19,875,995, one week.
2. John Wick, Lionsgate, $14,415,922, 2,589 locations, $5,568 average, $14,415,922, one week.
3. Fury, Columbia, $13,356,718, 3,173 locations, $4,209 average, $46,407,146, two weeks.
4. Gone Girl, 20th Century Fox, $11,044,357, 3,106 locations, $3,556 average, $124,037,579, four weeks.
5. The Book of Life, 20th Century Fox, $10,049,271, 3,113 locations, $3,228 average, $30,162,720, two weeks.
6. St. Vincent, The Weinstein Co., $7,746,596, 2,282 locations, $3,395 average, $8,877,553, three weeks.
7. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Disney, $7,197,217, 3,117 locations, $2,309 average, $45,718,836, three weeks.
8. The Best of Me, Relativity Media, $4,623,519, 2,936 locations, $1,575 average, $17,550,193, two weeks.
9. Dracula Untold, Universal, $4,395,945, 2,364 locations, $1,860 average, $48,421,335, three weeks.
10. The Judge, Warner Bros., $4,366,039, 2,610 locations, $1,673 average, $34,398,108, three weeks.
11. Annabelle, Warner Bros., $3,350,090, 2,505 locations, $1,337 average, $79,501,131, four weeks.
12. The Equalizer, Columbia, $2,774,825, 1,636 locations, $1,696 average, $93,750,101, five weeks.
13. The Maze Runner, 20th Century Fox, $2,352,349, 1,496 locations, $1,572 average, $94,122,442, six weeks.
14. Addicted, Lionsgate, $1,496,874, 956 locations, $1,566 average, $15,333,576, three weeks.
15. Birdman, Fox Searchlight, $1,379,640, 50 locations, $27,593 average, $2,010,081, two weeks.
16. Dear White People, Roadside Attractions, $1,254,245, 382 locations, $3,283 average, $1,697,716, two weeks.
17. The Boxtrolls, Focus Features, $929,838, 1,107 locations, $840 average, $47,608,204, five weeks.
18. Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney, $554,531, 402 locations, $1,379 average, $328,650,120, 13 weeks.
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Paramount, $375,537, 300 locations, $1,252 average, $190,115,983, 12 weeks.
20. Left Behind, Freestyle Releasing, $267,408, 320 locations, $836 average, $13,461,463, four weeks.

MovieStyle on 10/31/2014