‘Eagle Eye’ takes the top spot at the weekend box office

By Patrick Luce Sep 29, 2008, 14:03 GMT

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DreamWorks/Paramount new thriller "Eagle Eye" took the weekend box office’s top spot with an estimated $29.2 million from 3,510 theaters. The film helped put some life into the fall box office which has be sluggish since the end of summer.

The film’s strong opening demonstrated Shia LaBeouf’s box office muscle. “Eagle Eye” reteamed the actor with director D.J. Caruso – who worked with LaBeouf on DreamWorks’ box office hit "Disturbia."

Although the film (which cost an estimated $80 million to produce) received poor reviews from the critics, it was a hit with all demographics and ages this weekend. The film’s audience was equally split between people above and below 25, and women and men.

In Variety, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated: "It’s a good ride, and an audience pleasure. You get to suspend disbelief and just go for it."

Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures’ new romance flick "Nights in Rodanthe” had a solid debut with an estimated $13.6 million from 2,704 runs. The Diane Lane/Richard Gere love story took the No. 2 spot at the weekend box office.

The film, which appealed mostly to a female audience, performed better than the studio expected, and beat Lane’s other recent romance flicks - "Must Love Dogs" ($12.9 million) and "Under the Tuscan Sun" ($9.7 million).

In Variety, Warner Bros. exec VP of distribution Jeff Goldstein stated: "It struck a chord with a particular group, and we’re pretty happy. We’ve been out in the marketplace telling people about this movie since May, when we played the trailer before ‘Sex and the City.’"

Sony’s "Lakeview Terrace" took the No. 3 spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $7 million. The Samuel L. Jackson thriller has earned an estimated $25.7 million in its first 10 days.

The Samuel Goldwyn/IDP’s Christian-themed film "Fireproof" hit the box office with a surprised No. 4 placing thanks to an estimated $6.5 million from only 839 theaters. The film stars former “Growing Pains” television star Kirk Cameron.

Much of the film’s success came from the film’s “grassroots” marketing campaign – which Goldwyn (who released the faith-based film “Facing the Giants”) started more than a year ago.

The campaign advertised the film in churches and invited congregations to screenings of the film. Cameron’s own involvement in ministry also helped promote the movie.

The actor and the film’s director also hit the television circuit to discuss the film with appearances on “Dr. Phil,” “Today,” and “Fox and Friends.”

"Fireproof" follows a firefighter with a marriage on the rocks who accepts the "Love Dare" (to love God for 40 days). The film also has a companion book, "The Love Dare," which was released before the movie arrived in theaters.
 
The Coen brothers’ new comedy "Burn After Reading" dropped 44% in its third week, but took the No 5 spot with an estimated $6.2 million. The film has earned an estimated $45.5 million since its release.

Although “Eagle Eye” had a strong opening weekend, Spike Lee’s World War II flick "Miracle at St. Anna" had trouble finding its feet. The film opened to a mere $3.5 million and took the No. 9 spot at the weekend box office.
 
"St. Anna" is Lee’s first attempt at a war film, and the plot is based on the real life story of an African-American battalion that saw action in Italy during WWII.

The film was a huge drop compared to Lee’s last film, "Inside Man" - which debuted with $28.9 million.

Lionsgate/Roadside Attraction’s Iraqi drama "The Lucky Ones" opened in a limited release and earned an estimated $208,000. The film, which was directed by Neil Burger, played in 425 theaters.

Fox Searchlight’s “Choke” took in an estimated $1.3 million from 435 theaters. The film is based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel and stars Anjelica Huston and Sam Rockwell.