The devil made them do it.
Audiences rushed to The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The horror-based courtroom drama scared up a remarkable $30.1 million over its opening weekend, startling even distributor Sony.
"The film exceeded even our most optimistic expectations, which on the high end was our hope that the film would hit the high teens and potentially break into the low 20s," the studio's Screen Gems division stated in an emailed release.
"They must have got everybody!" exclaimed a rep from a rival studio, noting the surprise business over the post-Labor Day weekend--normally considered a throwaway time at the nation's box office, but boosted overall 16 percent higher than this time last year.
Well not quite everybody, but the film did possess a large number of moviegoers, enough to make Emily Rose the third biggest September opener ever, behind only Reese Witherspoon's romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama's $35.6 million in 2002 and Rush Hour's $33 million back in 1998.
Screen Gems reported that prior to the release of Emily Rose, there was a "huge spike" on online search engines from "people searching for info about the film and the story behind it," and that "an online poll showed that over 60 percent of respondents believe in the devil."
Loosely based on a true story, the movie stars Tom Wilkinson as a priest whose exorcism causes the death of a disturbed college student, played by Jennifer Carpenter. He is defended at trial by an agnostic attorney, Laura Linney, and prosecuted by the religious Campbell Scott.
The audience for the PG-13 movie, which cost only $19 million to produce, was evenly split between men and women, with 57 percent under 25. Emily Rose was spun onto 2,981 screens, where it averaged $10,082, best among all wide releases.
"When you have this kind of supernatural subject matter and it is executed well, the build in awareness and interest becomes its own phenomenon," Screen Gems said.
Its only new competition in major release came from The Man, which was simply emasculated. New Line's PG-13 odd-couple crime comedy flick, mismatching hard-ass G-man Samuel L. Jackson with flatulent dental supply salesman Eugene Levy, debuted in sixth place with just $4.1 million, averaging a skimpy $1,993 at 2,040 locations.
Among the holdovers at the multiplex, Steve Carell's The 40-Year-Old Virgin was still sowing its oats in second place. Dropping only 42 percent, the R-rated Universal release earned $7.9 million from a $2,595 average at 2,976 sites. It has now grossed $82.1 million in four weeks and is on track to break $100 million.
Last week's top movie, Transporter 2, dropped 55 percent to third place with $7.4 million. The PG-13 Fox sequel, starring Jason Statham as the Brit action man, has now grossed $30.1 million.
Down one slot in its second week was the thinking-person's thriller The Constant Gardener, which dug up $4.7 million in fourth place, off 46 percent from its open. The R-rated Focus release has tallied $19 million.
Elsewhere in the top 10, The Wedding Crashers earned $3.3 million in eighth place to cross the $200 million mark. Now in its ninth week, the New Line release is the fifth film of the year, and only comedy so far, to reach that milestone.
In limited release, An Unfinished Life, another from Miramax's trove of unfinished business, was slipped into 139 theaters, where it earned $1 million from a strong $7,254 average. The PG-13 family drama stars Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, Morgan Freeman and a large bear.
Overall, the top 12 movies grossed $73.5 million, compared to $63.3 million this time last year, when Resident Evil: Apocalypse debuted with $23 million. Compared to last weekend, business was down 6 percent.
Here's a rundown of the top 10, based on final studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. The Exorcism of Emily Rose, $30.1 million
2. The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, $7.7 million
3. Transporter 2, $7.4 million
4. The Constant Gardener, $4.7 million
5. Red Eye, $4.5 million
6. The Man, $4.1 million
7. The Brothers Grimm, $3.34 million
8. The Wedding Crashers, $3.25 million
9. Four Brothers, $2.9 million
10. March of the Penguins, $2.6 million
(Originally published Sept. 5, 2005 at 5:45 p.m. PT.)