Taken 2, Frankenweenie Both Open in the Top Five

Tim Burton's Frankenweenie remake made just over $11 million this weekend, opening in fifth place at the domestic box office as Taken  2 topped the chart $50 million threshold and holdovers Hotel Transylvania, Pitch Perfect and Looper took the spots in between. Taken 2 exceeded expectations (it was projected around $35 million) while Frankenweenie failed to meet them, studio executives told a box office analyst at Deadline. Taken 2, which stars Liam Neeson of Star Wars Episode One and Batman Begins fame, is one of the more unexpected sequels in recent history, based on a movie made with a modest budget at a time when Neeson wasn't a particularly in-demand lead. At the same time, the Tim Burton film was destined to be a cult hit at best and will likely make Disney more in ancillary merchandise and the like than it does at the theaters. It also may have more legs than a typical #5 opener, especially this close to Halloween. End of Watch, Trouble With the Curve, House at the End of the Street, The Master and Finding Nemo 3D rounded out the top ten.