newsmakers

newsmakers

‘The Master’ smashes box-office records

LOS ANGELES

Paul Thomas Anderson’s cult drama “The Master” commanded a huge following in its opening weekend, smashing records on just a handful of screens.

The Weinstein Co. release made $729,745 in five theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a record-setting per-screen average of $145,949, according to Sunday studio estimates. The hugely anticipated film, which won several of the top awards at the Venice Film Festival and will open in more cities in upcoming weeks, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a charismatic cult leader and Joaquin Phoenix as his wayward protege.

The No. 1 film at the box office was “Resident Evil: Retribution,” which took in an estimated $21.1 million in its debut.

That topped the 3-D re-release of the Disney Pixar animated favorite “Finding Nemo,” which opened in second place with $17.5 million.

Last week’s No. 1 movie, the Lionsgate exorcism thriller “The Possession,” fell to third place with an estimated $5.8 million. It’s now made about $41.2 million over the past three weeks.

Associated Press