Box Office News, Sept. 15

Box Office: Burn After Reading Sets Box Office on Fire

September 15, 2008

The Coen Bros. helped give the box office a needed Autumn boost with their comedy Burn After Reading, which debuted at No. 1 with an estimated $19.4 million. It was a lucrative weekend overall, actually, with many of the week's new releases doing better than expected despite a "crowded marketplace for adult-skewing films."

In second place came Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys earning $18 million, followed by the Al Pacino-Robert De Niro reunion, Righteous Kill. And despite unflattering reviews, even The Women did alright over the weekend, coming in at No. 4 with an estimated $10 million followed by The House Bunny in fifth place.

Alan Ball's Towelhead also opened and "nabbed the best per- location average of the weekend." Finally, for those of you keeping track, The Dark Knight is up another $4 million, putting its total domestic gross so far at an estimated $517 million.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

11 Comments

MamaD 4 years 34 weeks

I thought it was great!!! The Coen Brothers managed to make Brad and George a couple of dorks!!!!!!! It was very funny in a dry sense and I'd go back to see it again!

angelfromlsu 4 years 34 weeks

I loved it but my boyfriend absolutely hated it.

ilanac13 4 years 35 weeks

i think that it's good for clooney and pitt to have a #1 at the box office but to be honest, i don't know if it's a movie that i would feel like i can't live without seeing...although my fiance feels the need to see it. the more that i hear about the plot though the more i feel like it'll be ok to see it this coming weekend. i feel like the fall is off to a slow start especially after the CRAZY summer with all the superhero type movies. i hope that it picks up again.

ilanac13 4 years 35 weeks

bluesarahlou 4 years 35 weeks

I saw it yesterday, everyone in the theater loved it. As did I :)

Frank y Ava 4 years 35 weeks

I saw The Family That Preys, I'm not trying to see this. But I may sneak into it if enough people say it was descent.

Gossamer 4 years 35 weeks

I loved burn after reading. It was so funny. I went on friday and came out cracking, Brad Pitt was great.

Nitachequita 4 years 35 weeks

I meant "sure it was number one highest opening for the Coen brothers' movies and the #1 movie for the weekend..."

Nitachequita 4 years 35 weeks

I don't know if 19.4 million qualifies as setting the box office on fire. Sure it was number one, and sure it was the #1 movie for the weekend, but it strikes me as pitifully low, particularly for a George Clooney movie.

Renees3 4 years 35 weeks

I loved burn after reading. we might see it again there were So many funny parts that the whole theater was Cracking up at, I feel like I might've missed some other funny parts! Brad and George are awesomely funny and the whole thing was great