"The Taking of Pelham 123," which Sony Pictures co-financed with Relativity Media at a cost of just over $100 million, launched at $25 million.
Sixty-two percent of audiences were 30 and older, making "Pelham" the latest in a string of adult-targeted thrillers to start modestly this year. Stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta will have to draw bigger crowds overseas if the film is going to end up profitable.
Eddie Murphy's appeal, meanwhile, proved virtually nonexistent this weekend as "Imagine That" opened to an anemic $5.7 million. Paramount's family comedy, which cost $55 million to produce, stands as the summer's second major flop alongside "Land of the Lost."
In movie theaters overseas, "Terminator Salvation" is proving a solid performer despite its weak domestic ticket sales.
The fourth film in the sci-fi series grossed $46.1 million this weekend, thanks to very impressive launches in Japan and China of $10.7 million and $9 million, respectively. Its total foreign take after rolling out over the last three weeks is $165.5 million, compared with $113.8 million from four weeks in the U.S. and Canada.
Warner Bros. paid $60 million to financier Halcyon Co. for domestic rights and Sony paid just over $100 million to handle the movie internationally.
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ben.fritz@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Sales in the U.S. and Canada:
*--* -- Movie 3-day gross Percentag Total Days in e change from -- (studio) (millions) Last (millions) release weekend 1 The Hangover $33.4 -26% $105.4 10 -- (Warner Bros./Legend ary) 2 Up $30.5 -31% $187.2 17 -- (Disney/Pixa r) 3 The Taking $25 n/a $25 3 of Pelham 123 -- (Sony/Relati vity) 4 Night at the $9.6 -34% $143.4 24 Museum: -- Battle of the Smithsonian -- (Fox) 5 Land of the $9.2 -51% $35 10 Lost (Universa l/Relativ ity) 6 Imagine That $5.7 n/a $5.7 3 -- (Paramount) 7 Star Trek $5.6 -33% $232 38 -- (Paramount/S pyglass) 8 Terminator $4.7 -43% $113.8 25 Salvation -- (Warner Bros./Halcyo n) 9 Angels & $4.2 -36% $123.3 31 Demons -- (Sony) 10 Drag Me to $3.9 -45% $35.1 17 Hell -- (Universal/G host House) *--*
Industry totals
*--* 3-day gross Change Year-to-date gross Change (in millions) from 2008 (in billions) from 2008 $140 -22% $4.6 +11% *--*
Note: A movie may be shown on more than one screen at each theater.
Sources: Times research and Hollywood.com Box Office
