Weekend Box Office: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Leads Friday, 'Texas Chainsaw' Plummets

Oscar Buzz Bumps 'Zero Dark Thirty'
This undated publicity photo released by Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. shows Jessica Chastain, as Maya, a member of the elite team of spies and military operatives stationed in a covert base overseas, who secretly devoted themselves to finding Osama Bin Laden in Columbia Pictures' new thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty," directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Chastain received an Academy Award nomination for best actress for her portrayal of the young, obsessed CIA operative driving the search. (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Jonathan Olley)
This undated publicity photo released by Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. shows Jessica Chastain, as Maya, a member of the elite team of spies and military operatives stationed in a covert base overseas, who secretly devoted themselves to finding Osama Bin Laden in Columbia Pictures' new thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty," directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Chastain received an Academy Award nomination for best actress for her portrayal of the young, obsessed CIA operative driving the search. (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Jonathan Olley)

The Friday box office estimates for "Zero Dark Thirty" are in and they are looking good. While it has been playing in limited theaters since Dec. 19, the controversial Kathryn Bigelow movie had its wide release on Friday. "Zero Dark Thirty" made $9 million across 2,937 theaters. The torture scenes in the movie have been the subject of debate, with the most recent input from Sony co-chair Amy Pascal. "'Zero Dark Thirty' does not advocate torture," Pascal said, TheWrap.com reports. "To not include that part of history would have been irresponsible and inaccurate. We fully support [director] Kathryn Bigelow and [screenwriter] Mark Boal and stand behind this extraordinary movie." The controversy didn't keep "Zero Dark Thirty" from receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Picture on Thursday. The movie has now made a total of $14.4 million.

After a $23 million weekend last week, "Texas Chainsaw 3D" dropped to eighth place, making just $1.8 million on Friday. "Texas Chainsaw" was replaced by a horror film parody, "A Haunted House." The spoof, starring Marlon Wayans, took the number two spot on Friday, making $6.7 million across 2,160 theaters.

Coming in at number three is Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's "Gangster Squad." The crime movie, which also features Sean Penn and Josh Brolin, had a $6.6 million opening Friday at 3,103 theaters. Despite its strong cast, "Gangster Squad" has received mixed reviews.

"Django Unchained" and "Les Miserables" continued successful box office runs, coming in at number four and five, respectively. Quentin Tarantino's "Django," which has also seen its fair share of controversy, made $3.4 million on Friday across 3,012 theaters. The movie has now made a total of $117.7 million since its Dec. 25 release. "Les Miserables," which stars Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Amanda Seyfried, made $2.8 million for a total gross of $111.8 million. Both films received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture on Thursday.

Best Picture

Oscar Nominees 2013

Before You Go

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot