Weekend box office for September 13 - 15, 2013: James Wan scares audiences again with Insidious

Insidious: Chapter 2's estimated $41.1 million opening was the weekend's highest, in addition to being the second-highest September opening following Hotel Transylvania's $42.5 million opening. It's slightly less than the $41.9 million start of director James Wan's last film, The Conjuring. The two horror films have given Wan the unusual distinction of becoming the second director to have two $40 million+ debuts within a year (the Wachowskis beat him with the Matrix sequels), and he's sure to add a third with the July 2014 release of Fast & Furious 7. IC2 easily beat the first film's $13 million opening and will pass its $54 million total, but it likely won't have the legs of Wan's last two hits. It already looks more frontloaded than Conjuring, which grossed millions less on its opening day yet finished slightly higher.

The Family opened second with a decent $14.5 million. Riddick dropped 63% but was budgeted accordingly and should meet expectations. The Butler passed $100 million and We're the Millers continues remaining right behind it. The other August openers--Planes, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and especially Elysium--weren't so successful here but have respectable worldwide numbers of $138.8, $164.6 and $232.4 million. Monsters U will soon beat Up's $731 million and, worldwide, become Pixar's third most successful film. See how other movies performed here.

Weekend box office estimates for September 13 - 15, 2013:
(rank, title, weekend gross, percent change, total gross, weekend #)

1. Insidious: Chapter 2; $41,050,000; opening weekend

2. The Family (2013); $14,500,000; opening weekend

3. Riddick; $7,013,000; -63.1%; $31,280,000 total; 2nd weekend

4. Lee Daniels' The Butler; $5,582,000; -33.6%; $100,041,000 total; 5th weekend

5. We're the Millers; $5,415,000; -29.6%; $131,602,000 total; 6th weekend

6. Instructions Not Included; $4,250,000; -47.8%; $26,581,000 total; 3rd weekend

7. Planes; $3,066,000; -25.6%; $82,984,000 total; 6th weekend

8. One Direction: This is Us; $2,400,000; -40.7%; $26,887,000 total; 3rd weekend

9. Elysium; $2,050,000; -34.7%; $88,388,000 total; 6th weekend

10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters; $1,825,000; -24.8%; $62,035,000 total; 6th weekend

What to Watch This Weekend: September 13, 2013

It's another pretty light theater weekend.  Horror fans or fans of the first one should check out Insidious: Chapter 2.  Otherwise, catch up on some DVD and streaming movies you might have missed!

In Theaters: Insidious: Chapter 2

The major complaint about this movie is that it's too similar to the original. Although we thought it was a rental, we both liked the divergent story line and the attempt at director James Wan's focus on more atmospheric horror. Insidious: Chapter 2 is the best movie coming to theaters this week and a good choice if you liked the first one or are a horror fan. Plus, it's Friday the 13th today so it makes perfect sense to see this!

On DVD: Star Trek: Into Darkness

We thought J.J. Abrams follow up to the 2009 hit movie was a fun adventure with great character interaction and good production values. We gave it a see it, but if you happened to miss the movie in theaters, you should definitely check it out on DVD. Although the adventure had some overall issues, it is still an enjoyable experience and has some truly gorgeous special effects.

Streaming (Netflix): Lilo and Stitch

Lilo and Stitch is a Disney classic about a lonely Hawaiian girl named Lilo, being raised by her sister, who adopts a funny-looking dog and names him Stitch. It's an older movie that most of you have probably already seen, but if you're like me and missed it, check it out this weekend. 

Streaming (Amazon): The Story of Luke

The Story of Luke is about an autistic boy who sets out on an adventure to find a job and a girlfriend. It's a recent movie and has received a rating of four and a half stars after 47 reviews on Amazon. We haven't seen it but it sounds like an interesting indie movie for you to check out this weekend.

Streaming (HBO Go): The Sessions

The Sundance award winner is now on HBO Go. The Sessions tells the story of a man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity and contacts a professional sex surrogate. It has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating so go see it now!

Review: Insidious: Chapter 2

Release date: September 13, 2013
Running time: 105 minutes
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson
Who to see it with: Fans of supernatural horror and/or The Conjuring

Lee:

After a brief flashback and a chat with a detective that briefly summarizes the last film's ending, Insidious: Chapter 2 picks up right where the first left off. Despite moving in with Josh's (Wilson) mom, the Lambert family is still being disturbed by strange events and unwanted visions. The story begins very similarly to the first, slowly building tension with mysterious noises and abrupt musical cues. The scratchy violin musical score also returns. It feels very familiar, though the circumstances differ in the wake of the original's grim ending. The story begins to stand on its own after the first act, when a character's bizarre behavior convinces the family to seek further professional paranormal help. Insidious spent nearly all of its first two acts within the Lamberts' homes. This time, they team with the paranormal investigators to investigate a few dark, creepy places, seeking the true source of their troubles. The first film's comical investigative duo have more prominent roles this time, lightening the mood with their relatively grounded attitudes and reactions to the horror.

A common complaint about director James Wan's last two films, Insidious and The Conjuring, is that their increasingly strange final acts are less effective than their slower paced beginnings. The supernatural elements of IC2 are more prevalent than in either film, so those viewers may be even less satisfied than before. At least they're depicted very stylishly and serve unexpected purposes, explaining some of the original's mysteries and creatively tying together certain events. Like the first act, it feels familiar, except that the events and resolution are even stranger than last time (along with reminding me of a certain 80's horror film that I won't name because it could be a spoiler). IC2 often feels like it's covering the same ground but in different ways. The original's ending was satisfyingly dark with creepy implications, but this follow-up is somewhat dulled by a sense of deja vu that makes the story's continuation seem unnecessary. Insidious: Chapter 2 sometimes feels like a retread of the first, but fans will enjoy taking another tense trip into its stylish supernatural world.

Rent it.

David:

I hadn't seen the first movie, so I appreciated the beginning recap of some of the events. As the title implies, Insidious: Chapter 2 feels like a continuation of the first Insidious. IC2 at some points has an 80's feel, with an Evil Dead-style loud introduction, some slightly corny acting, and intense zooms to highlight certain events. One thing I noticed, and definitely appreciated, was the phenomenal lighting and attention to detail. There is something red in every scene, from a red light, to a red lampshade, to some piece of red furniture; it's a small detail but for some reason when you see that bit of red, it makes you anticipate something will happen soon. Later in the film, the story line breaks into two intertwining stories that were off-putting at first, but I eventually liked the variety and how the two threads affected each other. Most of the characters of the film were fun to watch, but the slightly bumbling ghost hunters with their comedic lines felt a little out of place; however they did have some scenes that caused me to smile. Overall, I liked the film and definitely like James Wan's attempt to craft more atmospheric and tense horror movies. Unfortunately, it's not as amazing as the recently released The Conjuring. 

Rent it.