'Freddy vs. Jason' Makes A Killing

Even with a blackout, "Freddy vs. Jason," the horror match-up made in hell, sliced and diced its way to $36.4 million at the box office.

"S.W.A.T." fell to second place, earning $18.6 million in its second week, while the Kevin Costner western "Open Range" defied expectations with a very promising debut of more than $14 million.

The Early Show Entertainment Contributor Laurie Hibberd reports viewers have not seen a good slice and dice in awhile and "Freddy vs. Jason" delivered. These two franchises redefined the genre. Fans grew up watching "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare On Elm Street." And the two characters combined did better than the last installments of the separate series.

Last year's "Jason X," the 10th in "Friday the 13th" series, topped out at $12.6 million, while 1994's "Wes Craven's New Nightmare," the seventh in that series, grossed $18.1 million.

Somebody masterminded the thought of putting them both together and cashing in on some money. The idea of pairing "Nightmare's" Freddy Krueger and "Friday's" Jason Voorhees had been kicked around since the early 1990s, so there was great fan anticipation. The combination revitalized both movie serials, whose endless sequels had become parodies of themselves.

Tale of the Tape:
Freddy      vs.                Jason 
7                 Movies          10
30                Killings        127
Burns             Trademark       Hockey mask
Fingerknives      Weapon          Machete
Johnny Depp       Famous Victim   Kevin Bacon
Source New Line Cinema

So expect to see it again. The producers even set it up for a sequel.

"S.W.A.T.'', the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, fell to second place with $18.6 million, bringing its 10-day total to $70.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall's Western, "Open Range," opened at No. 3 with $14.1 million. Directed by Costner, the movie stars him and Duvall as free-range cattle grazers battling a rancher's thugs.

Hibberd notes that the film was expected to make $5 million and made $14 million. Westerns generally appeal to an older generation.

"Uptown Girls," starring Brittany Murphy as reluctant nanny to a precocious 8-year-old girl, premiered in fifth place with $11.2 million. The skateboarding adventure "Grind" opened at No. 12 with $2.6 million.

In limited release, "American Splendor" starring Paul Giamatti in a film biography of cult comic-book writer Harvey Pekar opened strongly with $156,000 in six theaters. The top winner at last winter's Sundance Film Festival, "American Splendor" expands to more theaters over the next few weekends.

The overall box office, which has slumped for much of summer, rose sharply this past weekend. The top 12 movies took in $132.1 million, up 33 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

Last week's power blackout in the Northeast and Midwest appeared to have little effect on overall movie attendance. Some movies, including "Freddy vs. Jason," did more business on Friday, when power outages remained widespread, than on Saturday, when power had been restored.

"It's hard to say the power failure had an effect," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "Perhaps the numbers would have been a bit stronger without it. But the net effect was nil from what I'm looking at, because this was a really good weekend."

The following are the numbers according to Hollywood.com:

• "Freddy vs. Jason,'' $36.4 million.
  
• "S.W.A.T.'', $18.6 million.
  
• "Open Range,'' $14.1 million.
  
• "Freaky Friday,'' $13.1 million.
  
• "Uptown Girls,'' $11.2 million.
  
• "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," $8.5 million.
  
• "American Wedding,'' $8.2 million.
  
• "Seabiscuit,'' $8.1 million.
  
• "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,'' $5.2 million.
  
• "Bad Boys II,'' $3.2 million.