Women rule box office
Female fans propel ‘ Gone Girl’ into top spot, with ‘ Annabelle’ a close second.
The new David Fincher thriller “Gone Girl” and the low- budget horror film “Annabelle” scored big atthe weekend box office, propelled by one key audience group: women.
“Gone Girl” finished the weekend at No. 1 with a three- day estimated gross of $ 38 million in the U. S. and Canada, while “Annabelle” finished a close second with $ 37.2 million. Both heavily marketed R- rated films appear to have trumped industry tracking figures by more than $ 10 million.
Based on the popular novel by Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl” follows Nick Dunne ( Ben Affleck) after his wife goes missing on their
fifth anniversary. As secrets of their marriage unfold, police, media and community members try to determine whether Nick killed his wife.
The film drew an audience that was 60% female, a testament to its female cast: Rosamund Pikeas wife Amy, Kim Dickens as Det. Boney and Carrie Coon as Nick’s twin. About 75% of movie goers were older than 25.
“One of Fincher’s genius moves — he makes many — is the casting of this film,” said Chris Aronson, 20th Century Fox’s head of domestic distribution.
Both “Gone Girl” and “Annabelle” received B grades from audience polling firm Cinema Score. The films helped to boost a box office recovering from a summer slump. According to entertainment data provider Rentrak, weekend sales for the top10 films were up24.3% from the same time last year, when director Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar- nominated “Gravity” posted the biggest October debut with about $ 55.6 million.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak, said “Gone Girl” was not the “typical movie that would appeal to females.” It’s not a romantic comedy or action film with a female lead. “But typical rules don’t apply anymore at the box office.”
Contrary to what some expect for horror films, the audience for New Line’s “Annabelle” was 51% female. “Annabelle” follows the haunted doll from “The Conjuring,” which in July 2013 cast a spell over audiences and opened to about $ 41.5 million. It ended up grossing $ 318 million world wide.
“For years, it’s been obvious that women love horror movies, but for some reason there’s a stereotype that women wouldn’t like them,” Dergarabedian said.
“Annabelle” cost about $ 6.5 million to make. “We’re thrilled with our numbers,” said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution.
“Annabelle” did particularly well with Latino moviegoers, especially in Texas. “We went after that market because we did very well with ‘ The Conjuring’ there, and it made sense,” Fellman said. “Itwas on fire.”