Jake Gyllenhaal crime thriller Nightcrawler tied for first place with last week’s No 1 Ouija at the US box office this weekend, both movies taking an estimated $10.9m.
Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut about a jobless sociopath who stumbles upon a living selling footage of LA car wrecks made the joint top spot in its first week of release following excellent reviews. Analysts said it might fall just behind Ouija, the horror film based on Hasbro’s board game, when final counts are in, but would likely boast a higher take on average per cinema.
The latter film had been expected to land in second place in its second week of release but benefited from the Halloween weekend and a lack of competition from other new horror films.
The top five was rounded out by David Ayers second world war tank drama Fury in third, with $9.1m in its third week of release, David Fincher crime drama Gone Girl in fourth with $8.8m in its fifth week of release, and animation The Book of Life in fifth, with $8.3m in its third week of release.
There were no other new films in the top 10, but the British sci fi thriller Before I Go to Sleep debuted outside with a near-catastrophic total of just $2m, a figure which marked a new career low total for stars Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. Meanwhile, Bill Murray comedy St Vincent boasted the year’s best second week staying power in seventh, taking $7.8m for the second week running.
US box office top 10 (31 October to 1 November)
1. Nightcrawler, $10.9m, new entry
1. Ouija, $10.9m, $35m to date
3. Fury, $9.1m, $60.4m to date
4. Gone Girl, $8.8m, $136.6m to date
5. The Book of Life, $8.3m, $40.5m to date
6. John Wick, $8.1m, $27.6m to date
7. St. Vincent, $7.8m, $19.5m to date
8. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, $6.5m, $53.6m to date
9. The Judge, $3.4m, $39.5m to date
10. Dracula Untold, $2.9m, $52.9m to date
