Box office: 'Zero Dark Thirty' tops newcomers 'Gangster Squad' and 'Haunted House'

Best picture nominees receive post-nomination bump

By Dave Lewis Saturday, Jan 12, 2013 1:27 PM

'Zero Dark Thirty'

Credit: Sony Pictures

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Newcomers "A Haunted House" and "Gangster Squad" didn't stand a chance against the wide opening of "Zero Dark Thirty" at the Friday box office.

Kathryn Bigelow's controversial best picture nominee has been open in limited release for a few weeks now, but this is the first weekend its played to a wide audience, and the results are very strong, with the film earning $9 million on Friday.

"Zero Dark Thirty" will likely earn $25 million for the weekend, aided by word of mouth and its multiple Oscar nominations. Its domestic take now stands at $14.4 million.

Meanwhile, the two big new movies this week are neck and neck in theaters. Marlon Wayans' horror spoof "A Haunted House" scared up a surprisingly high $6.7 million on Friday, while the delayed all-star mobster flick "Gangster Squad" strong-armed a decent $6.6 million out of moviegoers.

Both films are expected to earn somewhere between $17 million and $19 million for the three-day.

Other best picture nominees received a bump at the box office as well. Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" came in at No. 4 with another $3.4 million (domestic total so far: $117 million); "Les Miserables" landed at No. 5 with 2.8 ($111 million), while Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" brought its take up to a whopping $148 million with another $1.8 million on Friday.

Wedged in there at No. 6 was Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which earned another $2.3 million.

Meanwhile, in its second week of release, the horror remake "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D" fell from the top spot all the way to No. 8, carving up $1.8 million. The domestic total for the inexpensive pic is now a bloody good $27.4 million.

Look for complete weekend estimates Sunday on HitFix.

Dave Lewis
Producer

Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.

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ray

What low-life sadists Americans are to blow $12 bucks to watch a lying tout sheet for torture and more hatred toward Muslims. Horay for Hollywood.
January 12, 2013 at 5:02PM EST Reply to Comment

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Box office: 'Zero Dark Thirty' tops newcomers 'Gangster Squad' and 'Haunted House'

Best picture nominees receive post-nomination bump