While some weren’t sure whether Gravity’s incredible visuals would translate into box office success, the film is now a bona fide hit, taking $44 million in its second weekend to top the box office once more. That’s just a 20% drops, which is incredibly unusual for a film that took over $50 million in its first outing (indeed it’s the best hold ever for such a film outside the holidays).
Gravity also had the second best weekend ever for IMAX, taking $9 million in that format, while 86% of the gross was for the 3D version, almost double what many of the summer’s 3D openings had. It shows that if Hollywood can present something where viewers feel they’re really getting something for a premium ticket, they will turn up. It’s expected by the end of its run it’ll be in the $250-300 million range, and perhaps beyond.
The Tom Hanks drama Captain Phillips ended up in second place with $26 million in its first three days. It’s a pretty good start, ahead of the likes the Zero Dark Thirty and Argo, suggesting it’ll be a real success by the end of its run, helped by great reviews.
The only other new movie in the top 10 was Machete Kills, which came in at number four with a verylacklustre $3.7 million. That’s just a third of the first film’s opening and one of the worst starts ever for a movie opening on more than 2,500 screens. It probably didn’t help that while the marketing started with a bang, it went on for so long that any hype dissipated before it opened.
Outside the top 10, Romeo And Juliet, starring Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld, proved a major flop, taking just half-a-million.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of October 11th-13th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | Gravity | $44.2 | $123.4 |
| 2 | Captain Phillips | $26.0 | $26,0 |
| 3 | Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 | $14.2 | $78.0 |
| 4 | Machete Kills | $3.7 | $3,7 |
| 5 | Runner Runner | $3.7 | $14.1 |
| 6 | Prisoners | $3.6 | $53.6 |
| 7 | Insidious Chapter 2 | $2.6 | $78.4 |
| 8 | Rush | $2.3 | $22.2 |
| 9 | Don Jon | $2.3 | $20.1 |
| 10 | Baggage Claim | $2.0 | $18.2 |