American Gangster shoots up the US box office

Crime obviously pays for Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, as both actors saw new drama American Gangster shoot straight to the top of the US charts and score more cash in an opening weekend than any of their previous releases. Ridley Scott’s film took in $46.3 million after a healthy weekend.

Also opening – after an utterly annoying promotional blitzkrieg – was Jerry Seinfeld’s collaboration with DreamWorks Animation, Bee Movie. It couldn’t quite meet expectations, opening to $39.1 million, but did well enough to make second place. That was because Saw IV exhausted its potential audience in its first week of release, crashing down 61% to land in third for its second weekend. It nabbed another $11 million for a running total of $51 million.

There was better news for Dan In Real Life, with the Steve Carell dramaedy dropping a relatively minor 31% into fourth with a current total of just under $23 million. And while that’s less than fifth-placed 30 Days Of Night, the vampire thriller will have to make more money overseas if it’s to turn a real profit. It cost $30 million to make and has so far nabbed $34 million in the States.

At sixth, The Game Plan continued to show legs despite the new competition for family business. The comedy made $3.8 million, boosting its coffers to a healthy $81.9 million total. Sadly, “healthy” isn’t a word we can use to describe Martian Child in seventh. New Line has advertised it quietly and it landed softly, taking home just $3.6 million despite launching in 2020 cinemas and John Cusack in the lead role of a sci-fi writer who adopts an unusual boy. In eighth, we find Michael Clayton, with the legal conspiracy drama taking $2.9 million.

And so to the bottom of the charts, where Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married stews at ninth with a running total of $51.2 million and Gone Baby Gone prepares to vanish from the top 10 with a take to date of $15 million.