1. Saw VII 3D (Lionsgate) NEW [2,808 Theaters]
Friday $10.7M, Saturday $7.9M, Weekend $24.2M)
A scary Halloween to one and all. You know what frightens me? More Saw pics. This is supposed to be the final chapter of the franchise that has made $763 million in global box office and $1+ billion in DVD sales. Just as the previous installment was supposed to be the last gasp. And so on. Granted 7 films in 7 years is unprecedented for a franchise, and the Guinness Book Of World Records presented a plaque at Comic-Connaming it the most successful horror series in history. But, please, let it die. This torture porn disgrace needs to end. Friday's anemic number includes $1.7 million from Saw 3D's midnight screenings, which were Lionsgate's largest even though unimpressive. At first the opening weekend take was pegged at $28M. But when the drop from Friday to Saturday was -25%, the opening weekend figure fell to $24.2M. That's underwhelming because of 3D's higher ticket prices (3D screens represented 93% of the total gross). The predicted total puts it only 5th among the seven 2D installments.
I heard that Saw 3D was tracking solidly, especially in the important categories: young male/young female and Hispanics, while gaining traction in the African-American market. Produced in association with Twisted Pictures for a budget of under $20 million, Hollywood thought the pic could earn mid-$30sM even if Lionsgate tried to laughingly lower expectations to high teens. The filmmakers boasted their use of the SI-3D digital camera system, allowing the fast shooting/up-close style that is a Saw hallmark. On Thursday, the studio hosted a nationwide fan appreciation night offering a "Limited Edition" pair of 3D glasses that said "I Saw It First" for ticket buyers.

2. Paranormal Activity 2 (Paramount) Week 2 [3,239 Theaters]
Friday $5.8M, Saturday $7M, Weekend $17M (-58%), Cume $66.5M
Not a bad hold, considering this is a 2D pic. Also remember that Paranormal Activity 2's Friday figure from a week ago included over $6M midnight shows, ergo the steep drop.

3. Red (Summit) Week 3 [3,349 Theaters]
Friday $3.4M, Saturday $4.8M, Weekend $10.7M (-29%), Cume $58.8M

4. Jackass 3D (Paramount) Week 3 [3,139 Theaters]
Friday $3.1M, Saturday $3.4M, Weekend $8.5M,  Cume $101.7M

5. Hereafter (Warner Bros) Week 3 [2,424 Theaters]
Friday $2M, Saturday $2.8M, Weekend $6.4M (-47%), Cume $22.2M

6. Secretariat (Disney) Week 4 [3,108 Theaters]
Friday $1.5M, Saturday $2.2M, Weekend $5M, Cume $44.7M

7. The Social Network (Sony) Week 5 [2,767 Theaters]
Friday $1.5M, Saturday $2M, Weekend $4.7M, Cume $79.7M

8. Life As We Know It (Warner Bros) Week 4 [2,860 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $1.7M, Weekend $4.2M, Cume $43.7M

9. The Town (Warner Bros) Week 7 [1,608 Theaters]
Friday $620K, Saturday $900K, Weekend $2M, Cume $87.6M

10. Conviction (Fox Searchlight) Week 3 [565 Theaters]
Friday $550K, Saturday $875K, Weekend $1.9M, Cume $2.5M