'Zero Dark Thirty' Rides Oscar Bump to Box Office Win

We talked in the Weekend Chatter column about the Oscar “bump,” which helps recently-nominated films at the box office. If you need another example, just look at Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.

The military thriller opened in New York and Los Angeles at the end of 2012 to qualify for Oscar consideration – a move that helped earn the film five nominations including Best Picture. The movie finally expanded this weekend to most markets, and easily won the box office weekend.

Bigelow’s film, about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, earned an estimated $24M in its first wide weekend. It stands at $29.4M to date. Bigelow’s previous Best Picture winner, The Hurt Locker, only earned $17M back in 2009, so Thirty already is doing much better with mainstream audiences.

In a bit of a surprise, Marlon Wayans’ spoof comedy A Haunted House bested Warner Bros.’ ensemble drama Gangster Squad, despite the presence of some star power in the latter film. More people might have been looking for a laugh. House banked $18.8M compared to the $16.7M nabbed by Squad.

The rest of the Best Picture nominees all added to their totals, from Django Unchained to Les Miserables. Meanwhile, last week’s leader, Texas Chainsaw 3D, nearly dropped out of the Top 10. It landed at No. 9, with $5.1M for the weekend.

Here’s the full Top 10 list for the weekend:

MOVIE / WEEKEND / TOTAL

1. Zero Dark Thirty, $24M, $29.4M

2. A Haunted House, $18.8M

3. Gangster Squad, $16.7M

4. Django Unchained, $11M, $125.3M

5. Les Miserables, $10.1M, $119.2M

6. The Hobbit, $9M, $278.1M

7. Lincoln, $6.3M, $152.5M

8. Parental Guidance, $6.1M, $60.6M

9. Texas Chansaw 3D, $23M

10. Silver Linings Playbook, $5M, $41.3M

Follow along on Twitter @Sean_OConnell and @Fandango.

Visit our Ballot Box and pick who you think will win on Oscar night!

Get more coverage in our Awards Watch Guide and check out our new original series, The Frontrunners!

Tags: Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow, Gangster Squad, Zero Dark Thirty

Categories: Awards Watch, Box Office Recap

Opening This Week

Coming Soon

Now Playing

The Movie Blog

'Zero Dark Thirty' Rides Oscar Bump to Box Office Win

By: Sean OConnell on January 13, 2013 at 3:50PM Comments (14)

Comments (14)Leave a Comment

Recent Articles

Archives

More From Movies.com

More From Comcast

Fandango Bloggers

Derrick Deane

Sean O'Connell

Erik Davis

Chuck Walton

Stacie Hougland

Lizerne Guiting

John Halecky

Elisa Osegueda

Tara McNamara

Need Help?