Box Office: 'Gravity' Rockets Towards Record $45 Mil; 'Captain Phillips' Eyes $25 Mil
UPDATED: Alfonso Cuaron's space epic is enjoying one of the strongest holds in a history for a non-holiday; Tom Hanks starrer "Captain Phillips" earns an A CinemaScore, while Robert Rodriguez' "Machete Kills" bombs.
Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity continues to defy expectations, grossing $12.7 million on Friday for a projected $45 million weekend.
That means the 3D space epic -- starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney -- will fall less than 18 percent in its second weekend -- marking the lowest decline in history for a film that opened over $50 million (The Incredibles was the previous record-holder at 29 percent). This doesn't count holiday weekends.
Gravity's North American total is $91.9 million through Friday; it will cross the $100 million mark sometime on Saturday. Globally, the movie should hit $175 million by Sunday.
THR COVER: Inside the Intense 'Captain Phillips' Shoot
The other big headline is Paul Greengrass' Somali pirate drama Captain Phillips. The adult drama opened to a strong $8.2 million on Friday, putting it on course to earn $25 million for the weekend in a victory for star Tom Hanks.
The critically acclaimed Sony film earned an A CinemaScore. Captain Phillips, based on real events and costing $55 million to produce, is hoping to be an awards player.
After Captain Phillips, the weekend's only other new wide player is exploitation action film Machete Kills, from writer-director Robert Rodriguez. Machete Kills debuted to a dismal $1.4 million on Friday and may not hit $4 million in its debut.
With a cast led by Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez, Machete Kills is the third film based on the fake trailers accompanying Grindhouse.
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