Box office: ‘Gone Girl’ tops ‘Dracula,’ ‘Alexander’ and ‘The Judge’

An onslaught of new movies couldn’t make “Gone Girl” disappear from the top of the box-office charts.

The David Fincher-directed thriller was the highest-grossing film in the U.S. for the second weekend in a row, beating out fantasy adventure “Dracula Untold,” Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” and Robert Downey Jr.’s “The Judge.”

“Gone Girl,” starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, earned a studio-estimated $26.8 million in ticket sales from the U.S. and Canada through Sunday. That represents a mere 29% drop from its opening last week, thanks to impressive word-of-mouth and generally positive reviews from critics.

The twist-filled film based on the novel by Gillian Flynn has taken in $78.3 million in domestic ticket sales so far, if estimates hold.

The nearly $27-million weekend from “Gone Girl” was enough to hold off Universal Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s “Dracula Untold,” a historical take on the vampire legend.

The PG-13-rated movie grossed $23.5 million in the U.S. and Canada in its first three days in theaters, topping analysts’ expectations going into the weekend with the help of pricier Imax showings.

Starring Luke Evans and directed by Gary Shore, “Dracula Untold” follows the transformation of a cursed Vlad the Impaler into the famed blood-thirsty monster. It cost about $70 million to make.

As expected, the action-adventure’s audience skewed male, with men accounting for 57% of the gross. Still, the appeal of Luke Evans, who previously starred in action movies including “The Raven” and “Immortals,” helped drive women to the multiplex as well, according to Nikki Rocco, head of domestic distribution at Universal.

The movie also had a considerable draw with non-white consumers. The audience was 31% Hispanic and 24% African American.

“Dracula made a very good showing,” Rocco said. “We’re very pleased, and we’re happy for the overall weekend.”

Families turned out for “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” based on the children’s book by Judith Viorst. The live-action movie starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner opened with $19.1 million in ticket sales, roughly in line with expectations.

Warner Bros.’ $50-million courtroom drama “The Judge,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, did not fare as well during the crowded weekend as adult audiences continued flocking to “Gone Girl.” It grossed a disappointing $13.3 million.

“The Judge” ended up in fifth place, behind Warner Bros.’ own “Annabelle” -- a spin-off from the 2013 horror hit “The Conjuring.”

The studio targeted older moviegoers with this film. About 50% of the audience was over 50 years old, and 71% was older than 35.

Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros., said the film’s box-office results came up short, but the studio is hoping the grown-ups will eventually turn out. Those who saw “The Judge” appeared to like it, giving it a grade of A-minus according to polling film CinemaScore.

“I think the world-of-mouth we’re getting should keep us pretty stable in the marketplace,” Fellman said.

“Annabelle” added $16.4 million to its total, dropping 56% from its robust opening weekend. Compared to other horror films, that represents a respectable hold, especially with the new supernatural competition from “Dracula Untold,” Fellman said.

The creepy film that takes its name from the haunted doll of the original movie has hauled in more than $62 million domestically so far, after costing just $6.5 million to produce.

“Addicted,” a thriller targeted primarily to African American women, managed to gross $7.6 million and land in seventh place at the box office, despite opening in just 846 theaters.

The results were much higher than anticipated, and the debut counts as the latest victory to come from Lionsgate’s partnership with Jeff Clanagan’s CodeBlack Enterprises. The movie, based on the novel by Zane, is expected to run in more than 1,000 locations next weekend.

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