With excellent reviews, aggressive marketing, an intriguing concept and two major names in its lead roles, “Gravity” was sure to succeed at the box office.
But few anticipated it would be this successful – few anticipated the extent to which it would defy gravity.
The George Clooney-Sandra Bullock spectacle grossed a whopping $17.5 million Friday, which easily establishes a pace for a $45+ million weekend. Distantly ahead of expectations, the film could also enjoy long legs at the box office due to its strong reviews and solid (A-) CinemaScore.
Shower all of your praise on “Gravity,” though, because none of it can be reserved for “Runner Runner.”
The Ben Affleck-Justin Timberlake-starrer, which received abysmal reviews, performed abysmally at the box office, earning just $2.8 million in its first time out. An irrefutable flop, the film could not even muster enough money on Friday to beat “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” ($4.7 million) for second place.
“Prisoners” ($1.7 million) and “Don Jon” ($1.4 million) completed the top five.