Picture: Paramount/Los Angeles Times
Director Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic “Noah” sailed at the weekend box office as the film opened at No. 1 with an estimated $44 million in ticket sales.
The film, which cost about $130 million to make, solidly met expectations, according to Paramount Pictures, which had initially forecast a $30-million opening weekend. "Noah" already has generated about $95 million overseas.
“It was a fantastic result,” said Megan Colligan, Paramount’s president of domestic marketing and distribution. “I think the movie really surprises people and makes them want to talk about it.”
“Noah” brought in a diverse crowd, Colligan said, a 50-50 split of male and female audience members. The film generated strong turnout among Christians, Catholic Latinos and African Americans, plus “lots of Aronofsky fans in major cities,” Colligan said.
“There was a pretty good balance of age ranges but a little bit of an older crowd, which we expected,” she said.
In Santa Monica, one packed AMC theater gave the film a standing ovation Saturday night.
“At first I thought maybe we walked into the wrong movie -- it was a little cheesy of a start,” said Astacia Christenson, 36. “But it worked out because you got into the characters, there was some good acting and the story picked up and got more interesting. The movie saved itself."
Full Story: 'Noah' sails to estimated $44-million opening at box office
Source:Los Angeles Times