SHOW BIZ: Weekend Movie Box Office Update: October 16 - October 18, 2009

 

Rank	Film	Distributor	Weekend Total	# Of Screens	Weeks Playing	Cumulative Box Office
1	Where The Wild Things Are	Warner Bros.	$32,695,407	3,735	1	$32,695,407
2	Law Abiding Citizen	Overture Films	$21,039,502	2,890	1	$21,039,502
3	Couples Retreat	Universal	$17,227,390	3,009	2	$62,617,735
4	The Stepfather	Sony	$11,581,586	2,734	1	$11,581,586
5	Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs	Sony	$8,017,871	3,037	5	$108,281,645

For more information, access the complete chart on Variety.com.

1. "Where The Wild Things Are:" An American fantasy film directed by Spike Jonze, Where The Wild Things Are is a live-action adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name. The story centers on Max, a little boy who imagines running away from his family to an island inhabited by giant animal-like creatures with childish personalities. After several days of sailing he reaches an island that is home to large talking beasts (the wild things). So as to save himself from being the night's feast, he convinces them that he is a great king with magical powers capable of bringing harmony to the group. Upon hearing this, they crown Max their king. Eventually, the truth of Max's nature comes out: neither is he a king nor does he have magical powers. This upsets one of the wild things, who force him off the island. Max sails home to his eagerly awaiting family and a warm meal. Stars Max Records as Max; Catherine Keener as Connie, Max's Mother; Mark Ruffalo as Connie's boyfriend; Steve Mouzakis as Mr. Elliott and features the voices of Forest Whitaker as Ira; James Gandolfini as Carroll; Lauren Ambrose as KW; Catherine O'Hara as Judith; Michael Berry Jr. as The Bull; Chris Cooper as Douglas and Paul Dano as Alexander.

2. "Law Abiding Citizen:" Jamie Foxx stars as an assistant DA who finds himself at the mercy of a spiteful vigilante (Gerard Butler) hell-bent on avenging the death of his wife and daughter, whose murderers are set free due to legal loopholes. F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) directs from a script by Frank Darabont and Kurt Wimmer. - Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

3. "Couples Retreat:" Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in Universal Pictures' upcoming comedy Couples Retreat. The comedy follows four Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort's couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples. The film also stars Kali Hawk and Jean Reno.

4. "The Stepfather:" When a teenage boy (Penn Badgley) begins to suspect that his new stepfather (Dylan Walsh) is a notorious serial killer who preys on broken families, he races to gather the evidence that will back up his radical claim before it's too late. The 1987 thriller that shot Lost star Terry O'Quinn to cult stardom serves as inspiration for this remake penned by J.S. Cardone and directed by Nelson McCormick. Sela Ward, Jon Tenney, and Amber Heard co-star in a Screen Gems release. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

3. "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs:" Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's beloved children's book of the same name,  "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" follows inventor Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) and a brainy weathergirl (voice of Anna Faris) as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped, and food is falling in its place. Meanwhile, lifelong bully Brent (voice of Andy Samberg) relishes in tormenting Flint like he did when they were kids, and Mayor Shelbourne (voice of Bruce Campbell) schemes to use Flint's latest invention -- a device designed to improve everyone's lives -- for his own personal gain. Mr. T voices by-the-books cop Earl Devereaux, and James Caan voices Flint's technophobe father, Tim. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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