It was a triumphant weekend for Michael Jackson. And how fitting it was that the man who gave us the Thriller masterpiece saw victory during a weekend devoted to all things Halloween.

According to early estimates at Box Office Mojo, Michael Jackson's This Is It, distributed by Sony (NYSE: SNE), grossed about $21 million at domestic theaters, good for the top slot. The total tally for the film is over $32 million once the Wednesday opening is taken into account.

Continue reading Michael Jackson wins Halloween box office race, 'Saw VI' continues to suffer

Michael Jackson wins Halloween box office race, 'Saw VI' continues to suffer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I don't believe it. I never thought it could happen. Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE: LGF) released Saw VI this past weekend. Surely the latest cinematic celebration of cruelty would be the number-one picture at domestic theaters, right? Saw is a big brand when it comes to torture movies. Jigsaw is a Freddy Krueger (and beyond) for the new generation. The teens would be out in full force to support all the latest traps and sequences of dismemberment and bloodletting for sure.

Well, Saw VI didn't come out on top. Instead, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paranormal Activity made the most money in the race for domination at the multiplex, scoring approximately $22 million according to early estimates from Box Office Mojo. The new Saw did come in second, though, so that was at least some consolation, correct?

Continue reading Viacom's 'Paranormal Activity' plays Jigsaw's game -- and wins

Viacom's 'Paranormal Activity' plays Jigsaw's game -- and wins originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.