The Gridiron Gangwon the box office this past weekend, making an estimated $15 million.
Football drama "Gridiron Gang" scored a touchdown at the North American box office, while the thriller "The Black Dahlia" withered, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
The film, starring former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, earned $15 million during its first three days, distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday. It was the second football movie in three weeks to take the top spot.
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Overall ticket sales were up from last weekend's three-year low, but still puny amid fall's traditional slowdown.
Moviegoer apathy and critical opprobrium hit director Brian De Palma's "Black Dahlia," which opened at No. 2 with $10.4 million. Its distributor, Universal Pictures, had hoped for an opening in the mid-teens.
Even worse were the fates that befell the baseball cartoon "Everyone's Hero," No. 3 with $6.2 million, and the romantic drama "The Last Kiss," No. 4 with $4.7 million. Last weekend's champion, the supernatural thriller "The Covenant," also reported $4.7 million.
"Black Dahlia," starring Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johannson, was inspired by the unsolved 1947 murder of an aspiring actress whose bisected body was discovered in Los Angeles. It cost about $60 million to make.
Audiences were apparently less than thrilled with Brian de Palma's Black Dahlia, as were critics. It was a slow weekend at the movies, that's for sure.
The Gridiron Gang won the box office this past weekend, making an estimated $15 million.
