Apparently moviegoers aren't quite ready to give up on those summer popcorn flicks just yet, judging by the box-office performance of this weekend's late entry in the year's blockbuster action pool. The Shia LeBeouf-starring, Steven Spielberg-produced Eagle Eye–which was moved back from its original summer release date to avoid the congestion there–leapt to the top of this week's chart with $29.2 million, the biggest opening in nearly two months and the fourth biggest September opening ever.
The weekend's next biggest new release, the weepy romance Nights In Rodanthe, made a comparatively sluggish showing with $13.6 million, landing it at No. 2, ahead of last week's top grosser, Lakeview Terrace ($7 million). A somewhat surprising entry in the front half of the top 10–though not that surprising, if you've been paying attention–the Christian-themed Fireproof set the charts ablaze and smoked the competition with its labored fire metaphors, landing at No. 4 with $6.5 million, despite receiving little publicity outside of its target niche and, well, us. Despite opening in only 839 theaters, the film took in nearly as much per screen as Eagle Eye. Burn After Reading followed close behind at No. 6 with $6.2 million, offering rife opportunity for flame-related quippage that we're choosing to ignore.
Last week's No. 4, the animated family flick Igor, proved the most resilient repeat appearance, slipping only 30 percent to No. 6 with $5.5 million. The Dane Cook travesty My Best Friend's Girl didn't fare nearly as well, dropping from No. 3 to No. 8 with $3.8 million, a mere $3,000 behind Righteous Kill. Spike Lee's war drama Miracle At St. Anna had a bleak showing at No. 9 with $3.5 million, just ahead of the week's biggest fall, Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys, which dropped 56.5 percent to No. 10.
More detailed numbers can be found at boxofficemojo.com.