Fury Tops Weekend Box Office, Birdman Plays Huge In Tiny Release

Fury starring Brad Pitt and The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal took the top spot at the weekend's domestic box office, generating almost $25 million, but the big story of the weekend might be director Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman, which opened at $415,000 in just four theaters.

The anticipated movie, which stars Batman's Michael Keaton as a washed-up actor best known for playing a superhero in a blockbuster 25 years ago, generated a per-screen average about four times higher than any movie in wide release this week and opened in the top twenty at the weekend box office.

Birdman gets a wider release next week, so we'll see how it holds up.

Fury made $23.5 million, besting Gone Girl and The Book of Life for the top spot as they made $17.8 and $17 million, respectively. The film was made for just $70 million or so and stars a slew of hot, young actors so expect it to be in the conversation this awards season. The Rotten Tomatoes score is currently just 80%, but the performances have drawn raves. The film is directed by David Ayer, whose next project is the DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad, rumored to feature Tom Hardy, Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

The Ben Affleck-starring Gone Girl crossed the $100 million threshold this weekend, as well, making it the fourth film from acclaimed director David Fincher to do so. Currently, Gone Girl is the second-highest-grossing Fincher film to date, behind The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.