“Dolphin Tale” leaped to the front of the box office pack in a slow weekend. Receipts were down nearly 14 percent over last weekend. Courtesy of BoxOffice Mojo, here’s the weekend, by the numbers:
| TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count /Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
| 1 | 3 | Dolphin Tale | WB | $14,245,000 | -25.6% | 3,515 | +8 | $4,053 | $37,516,000 | $37 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | Moneyball | Sony | $12,500,000 | -35.9% | 2,993 | – | $4,176 | $38,469,000 | $50 | 2 |
| 3 | 1 | The Lion King (in 3D) | BV | $11,057,000 | -49.6% | 2,340 | +10 | $4,725 | $79,652,000 | – | 3 |
| 4 | N | 50/50 | Sum. | $8,858,000 | – | 2,458 | – | $3,604 | $8,858,000 | – | 1 |
| 5 | N | Courageous | TriS | $8,800,000 | – | 1,161 | – | $7,580 | $8,800,000 | – | 1 |
| 6 | N | Dream House | Uni. | $8,209,000 | – | 2,661 | – | $3,085 | $8,209,000 | – | 1 |
| 7 | 4 | Abduction | LGF | $5,650,000 | -48.3% | 3,118 | – | $1,812 | $19,139,000 | $35 | 2 |
| 8 | N | What’s Your Number? | Fox | $5,600,000 | – | 3,002 | – | $1,865 | $5,600,000 | – | 1 |
| 9 | 6 | Contagion | WB | $5,040,000 | -40.4% | 2,744 | -392 | $1,837 | $64,702,000 | $60 | 4 |
| 10 | 5 | Killer Elite | ORF | $4,855,000 | -48.1% | 2,986 | – | $1,626 | $17,439,000 | $70 | 2 |
And in your Monday Must-Read:
Dutch filmmaker Tom Six has released the second installment in his “Human Centipede” series. The first one, if you didn’t see it, was (as the title suggests) about people sewn together to make a human centipede. It was thoroughly gross and terrifying to contemplate.
The sequel, as if there were depths unplumbed, was rejected earlier this year by the British Board of Film Classification.
Speaking to The New York Times, Six said he was appalled by the board’s ruling, but also realized “this is brilliant marketing.”
As ever, here’s the nut graf:
‘In a tradition of horror films that have been banned in countries around the world, from the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to the “Hostel” series, “The Human Centipede 2” is fascinated by the contents of the human body and unflinching in its depictions of them. And like “A Clockwork Orange,” withdrawn from release in Britain by its studio and its director, Stanley Kubrick, amid fears that it was spawning copycat crimes and worries about Kubrick’s safety, Mr. Six’s film is concerned with how on-screen violence can lead to imitations in real life.”
