Undiscouraged by the indisputable awfulness of the 2003 remake The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or its 2006 prequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, horror audiences turned out in droves for Texas Chainsaw 3D, perhaps hoping the addition of 3D and the subtraction of “massacre” would in some way nourish their souls. Given the widest possible berth—no new openings and only the feeble fracking drama Promised Land expanding to multiplexes—Chainsaw! took $23 million for first place. It was enough to edge out Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, but its $20.1 million second-place finish lifted it above the $100 million threshold and signaled the biggest hit of Tarantino’s career. He’ll soon be able to afford all the Wu Wear money can buy. Next week will prove to be a telling one in box office land, as Zero Dark Thirty finally enters multiplexes: Should it extend the film’s outstanding performance in limited release—this week brought an astonishing $45,833 per screen on 60 screens—it may find itself in a better position in the Oscar race. If it fails, executives at Sony Pictures will attach electrodes to screenwriter Mark Boal’s testicles, demanding an answer (which he will then provide over a “civilized lunch”).
For more detailed numbers, visit Box Office Mojo.