Box Office: 'Gone Girl' Finds Another $26M; 'Dracula Untold' Not Far Behind with $23M

1. Gone Girl- $26.8M/$78.2M
As expected, David Fincher's Gone Girl held strong to its audience, slipping only 29% and adding another $26.8M. Genre films like Annabelle or even Dracula Untold tend to be heavily frontloaded while those aimed at older audiences having longer life spans. Unfortunately, this is exactly the audience The Judge was trying to nab, and we'll see how that worked out further down on the chart.
2. Dracula Untold- $23.4M
So perhaps we should take Universal's relaunch of their classic movie monsters more seriously? Unabashedly geared towards fans of superhero flicks, Dracula Untold shifts the vampire villain into a tragic hero in a Braveheart-style war for freedom. The $70M film had a star in Luke Evans, best known for his cheekbones in The Hobbit and Fast & Furious 6, so it didn't pack a ton of star power. That means audiences were genuinely interested in Drac's origin, a fact which should make Universal extremely happy.
3. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- $19.1M
The film with the overlong title got off to a blistering start with $19.1M, practically guaranteeing Disney is going to make a mint on the $28M-budgeted adaptation of Judith Viorst's book. Interesting connection to Gone Girl: Viorst is jokingly pitched as a suspect in Amy Dunne's disappearance at one point in Gillian Flynn's novel. Anyway, this one will benefit from the presence of Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, plus the trailers and TV spots have just been a ton of fun. Audiences clearly responded to it, giving it an 'A-' Cinemascore, and with the Columbus Day holiday tomorrow we may see 'Alexander' do even better. 
4. Annabelle- $16.4M/$62.1M
5. The Judge- $13.3M
Not that anybody was expecting Iron Man-type numbers for the family courtroom dramedy, The Judge, but $13.3M is still pretty disappointing for a Robert Downey Jr. film. Once eyed as an Oscar hopeful, all that died pretty quick once reviews starting coming out, with positive notice only given to Downey and Robert Duvall's performances. But the truth of the matter is it might have done better if Gone Girl wasn't around targeting the same audience looking for adult-oriented, R-rated thrillers.
6. Addicted- $7.6M
Ever seen Zane's Sex Chronicles late at night on Cinemax?  They were more popular than you may know, just as the erotic novels by author Zane are probably read by just about every woman you know. And so there was a deep built-in audience for the adultery drama, Addicted, which opened at only 846 theaters and pulled in a sizable $7.6M. The R-rated film boasts no major stars or big time direction but never really needed it, and this is probably going to encourage Lionsgate to build this as their next urban franchise after parting ways with Tyler Perry early this year.
7. The Maze Runner- $7.5M/$83.8M
Has now surpassed $200M worldwide, by the way.
8. The Boxtrolls- $6.6M/$41M
9. Meet the Mormons- $3.5M
Mormons are people, too, and apparently they go to the movies. And star in them. Meet the Mormons is a documentary about six mormons living in different parts of the world, and their various experiences trying to escape the shadow of Mitt Romney. Okay, I added that last part. But really, the point of this one is showing that Mormons are just like everybody else, and it's a message that is obviously clicking. The film was originally meant to only be shown in the Mormon hotbed of Salt Lake City, but audience reaction convinced the LDS to expand it further. Good move.
10. Left Behind- $2.9M/$10.9M

Also releasing in limited fashion in more ways than one is Kill the Messenger, the Jeremy Renner-led biopic of journalist Gary Webb. Webb had exposed the CIA's drug connection to Contra rebels and had his character assassinated for it. The film is not off to a promising start. Bad reviews have killed any buzz for Renner as an Oscar contender, and it only earned $939K at 374 locations. Yikes. Off to a much better start is the Sundance Award-winner Whiplash, which stars Miles Teller as an aspiring drummer terrorized by JK Simmons. Opening at 6 sites the film earned $143K.

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Review: 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day', Starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner

A lot of family-friendly movies struggle with being entertaining for both the kids and the adults. Disney has usually gotten it right in the past, and does so now with the youth book-to-film adaptation Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day, a sweet family comedy anchored by Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, and is funny, cute, and entertaining in all the right ways. 

Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould) has a bad day every day. He's always down on his luck, the girl he likes doesn't give him a lot of attention, and his 12th birthday party is coming up but is going to be overshadowed by another classmate's fog-machine, energy drink bar, and

trampoline party. And out of everything, Alexander gets the most annoyed with his family, who don't seem to understand the extent of his bad days since they're apparently, according to his brother, "#blessed". 

So the night before Alexander's 12th birthday, and on a day that's supposed to bring big things for his family, he makes a wish that just once, his family would know what it's like to have a bad day like him. The next day, everything imaginable goes wrong for his family (who include Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey). There is a lot of running around, fire, a driving test gone completely wrong, a book reading disaster, and a high on cold medicine rendition of Peter Pan. Somehow, the Coopers have to pull it all together in time for Alexander's birthday. 

While the title is a bit of a mouthful, the film is family-friendly fun at its best. It's even sure to please those without families, because the movie at its most basic is genuinely funny and cute. With a run time of only 81 minutes, the film gets straight to the point, but never feels rushed. The plot is simple and there's enough craziness going on, which is thankfully not at all forced or contrived just for laughs. 

Ed Oxenbould is cute as Alexander. The way he talks and acts makes you understand his frustration with his everlasting string of bad luck. Steve Carell is the silly funnyman whose streak of positivism holds up the family, and Jennifer Garner's got the "mom smile" but really shines when she's aggravated and gets frustratingly aggressive, which is hilarious. Dylan Minnette and Kerris Dorsey are great supports and flaunt a personality of their own without slinking quietly into the background. Dick van Dyke and Jennifer Coolidge make fantastic cameos and really make the movie more fun. 

It's very hard not to like this film. It's energetic, filled with silly, genuine fun, and has humorous beats that will make you smile and possibly laugh out loud. Its long title gets a shout out not once, but twice in the film, which is a major accomplishment given the fact that it's easy  to jumble up the words. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is sincerely funny and manages to have a moral to its story, while being entertaining fun for the whole family. 

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*CLOSED* Advance Screening for 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'

You and your family can have a very good day by attending a free advance screening of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. Based on the popular children's novel by Judith Viorst, the story follows the worst day ever for 11-year-old Alexander and his family.  The screening takes place on Saturday, October 4th at AMC Mazza Gallerie at 10:30AM.

Because we want as many families as possible to have a chance to see this film, we're giving these passes away on a first come, first served basis. Simply go to the See It First site here. enter code 931138 and download up to four passes to the screening.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and post your thoughts on the film!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day opens October 10th.

WASHINGTON, DC
Saturday, October 4
10:30 AM
AMC Mazza Gallerie
5300 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015

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First 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' Trailer with Steve Carell

Obnoxiously long title aside, Judith Viorst's children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is considered a classic, which is why 20th Century Fox and Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right) were anxious to bring it to the screen. Cholodenko ultimately dropped out as director, staying on as co-writer, but Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) picked up the reins and judging by the first trailer he's lived up to the novel's chaotic spirit.

Starring Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and Ed Oxenbould in the title role, the film covers one truly awful day in the life of the Brand family. Young Alexander has always had it tough while everyone else seems to get what they want, until the tables are suddenly turned and they get a taste of what he goes through. Coming off his darker-than-expected turn in The Way Way Back it's good to see Carell doing something wholesome that families will likely flock to.

Also starring Dylan Minnette, Jennifer Coolidge, Bella Thorne, Kerris Dorsey, and Megan Mullally, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day opens October 10th.

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First Image from 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'

2013 turned out to be something of a mixed bag for Steve Carell. It began with the miserable magician comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, but picked up considerably in The Way Way Back, which saw him go down a darker path than we're accustomed to. He scored big on two sequels, Despicable Me 2 and Anchorman: The Legend Continues, but also saw his Oscar hopes dashed when Foxcatcher got moved to 2014. That's also when he'll appear in Disney's adaptation of Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

The first image from the family comedy has been released, and it shows that it won't just be Alexander having a really awful day, but everybody is going to have something to scream about. Directed by Miguel Arteta and starring Carell, Jennifer Garner, and Ed Oxenbould, the official synopsis explains a little about why everyone is so upset...

Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life — a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” directed by Independent Spirit Award winner Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Youth in Revolt”) from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production. The film hits theaters nationwide Oct. 10, 2014.

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Ed Oxenbould Joins Steve Carell In 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'

Disney ran into a few problems when Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right) departed their adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as she was heavily involved in the script as well as directing. Miguel Arteta seems to have filled in nicely as her replacement, but what the film really had going for it is that Judith Viorst's award-winning novel is an unquestioned classic in the realm of children's books. The little boy at the center of the story has also been a part of the sequel, a TV special, and a stage performance, and now Disney has found someone to play him in the feature film.

Relative newcomer Ed Oxenbould will play the title character in the film, joining Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner who will play his parents. Published in 1972, the story Alexander going through the worst day of his young life. It begins when he wakes up with gum in his hair and only goes downhill from there.

Disney hopes for a much better day when the film opens on October 10th 2014.[TheWrap]

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