Focus FeaturesRumor has it there's a curse going around Tinseltown that in the aftermath of an Oscar show bomb, the first movie an Oscar host releases will tank at the box office as well.
Considering that Anne Hathaway‘s stint as an Academy Awards show garnered less than stellar reviews, did her romantic One Day fall prey to the curse?
Pretty much.
The film, which stars Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as a couple whose romantic rollercoaster is followed over 20 years, landed in the 9th spot in this weekend's box office with only $5.1 million. The film reportedly cost about $15 million to make, and hasn't been a particular favorite among critics either.
One Day did, however, top a few films at the box office…like Glee: 3D, which again failed to crack the top 10 with only $1.8 million in its second week.
But one film continued to clean up, and that was The Help, which topped this weekend's charts despite the debuts of four new movies (Spy Kids, Conan the Barbarian, Fright Night and One Day), with $20.5 million. The Help, already generating early Oscar buzz, has amassed $71.8 million to date and could hit $100 million if the trend continues.
Meanwhile, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was right behind the civil-rights era domestic-workers flick, grabbing $16.3 million to give it a total gross of $133.8 million in less than three weeks, followed by Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D with $12 million.
Take a look at the weekend's top-grossing films, per Friday-Sunday estimates as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
- The Help, $20.5 million
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes, $16.3 million
- Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, $12 million
- Conan the Barbarian, $10 million
- Fright Night, $8.3 million
- The Smurfs, $8 million
- Final Destination 5, $7.7 million
- 30 Minutes or Less, $6.3 million
- One Day, $5.1 million
- Crazy, Stupid, Love, $4.95 million