Film News: ‘The Help’ Tops Box Office

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CHICAGO – For the first time since the end of July, the number one film at the box office this past weekend was not titled “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” After two weeks at the top, the primates were beat out by the comedy/drama “The Help.”

In the second week of the film’s release, “The Help” was able to beat out the likes of action films, horror pictures, and new releases. Starring Emma Stone, the film covers the story of a girl who comes back from college and decides to become a writer, but causes controversy when she decides she will use the black women who have served Southern families their whole lives as her subject. The second week of the film reeled in $20 million, just a 23% drop from its opening weekend.

While “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was finally toppled, the third weekend of the film still earned enough to end in second place at the box office with $16.1 million. The film has now earned $133.6 million, a success when compared to the $93 million budget.

In other box office news, the winner of the new release race was rather surprising. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D” came in with $11.6 million, trumping the likes of the two remake films, “Conan the Barbarian” ($10 million) and “Fright Night” ($7.7 million). While it isn’t a huge surprise that the horror film didn’t do well, $10 million is a disappointing opening weekend for a film that had a budget of $90 million.

Also making noise in its fourth weekend was the family film “The Smurfs,” which brought in another $7.8 million, giving the film $117.5 million total.

We’ll have to wait and see if “The Help” can go back-to-back at the box office next weekend in its third release week when it competes with the new releases “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” “Our Idiot Brother” and “Colombiana.”

Top Ten:

1. The Help — $20 million — down 23% — $71.3 million total

2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes — $16.1 million — down 42% — $133.6 million total

3. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D — $11.6 million — new

4. Conan the Barbarian - $10 million — new

5. The Smurfs — $7.8 million — down 43% — $117.5 million total

6. Fright Night — $7.71 million — new

7. Final Destination 5 — $7.7 million — down 57% — $32.3 million total

8. 30 Minutes or Less — $6.4 million — down 52% — $25.9 million total

9. One Day — $5.1 million — new

10. Crazy, Stupid, Love. — $4.8 million — down 32% — $64.3 million total

By TIM MARTENS
Contributing Writer
HollywoodChicago.com