Friday Report: 'Last Exorcism,' 'Takers' Snare Audiences
On Friday, new releases The Last Exorcism and Takers dominated the chart with solid returns, Avatar added a bit more to its coffers with a special edition relaunch, and the holdovers saw largely standard declines.

The Last Exorcism grabbed an estimated $9.4 million on approximately 3,500 screens at 2,874 locations (the gross included around $750,000 from its midnight opening). That was better than Exorcist: The Beginning but less than The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which was the last expressly exorcism-themed movie and started at $11.3 million back in 2005. Last Exorcism's opening attendance was also behind The Haunting in Connecticut and The Amityville Horror (2005) but greater than The Unborn (2009).

Takers scored an estimated $7.5 million on close to 2,600 screens at 2,206 locations, which was above par for a heist picture. It made more in a single day than Armored did in its entire first weekend, and it had a significantly bigger opening day than The Losers, Street Kings and Brooklyn's Finest.

Avatar: Special Edition landed in 11th place with an estimated $1.2 million at 812 3D locations. Though that didn't chart among the biggest re-releases (and couldn't due to the freshness of its home video release), it pushed Avatar's lifetime total to $751 million.

In its third Friday, The Expendables fell 45 percent to an estimated $2.7 million, increasing its total to $75.2 million in 15 days. By comparison, Inglourious Basterds was off 48 percent to $3 million at its same point last year and had an $83.2 million 15-day haul.

Eat Pray Love didn't perform as well as The Expendables compared to its analogue from last August, Julie & Julia. Eat Pray Love dipped 43 percent to an estimated $2.15 million, bringing its tally to $55.9 million in 15 days. Julie & Julia was down 28 percent at the same point, to $2.6 million, though it had $52.9 million in 15 days.

Last weekend's group of five new releases showed no traction in their second Fridays. Vampires Suck bled 62 percent to less than $1.7 million for a $24.3 million sum in ten days. The Switch was off 46 percent to an estimated $1.45 million for a $13.3 million eight-day haul. Piranha 3D sank by 63 percent to an estimated $1.35 million for a $15.3 million tally in eight days. Nanny McPhee Returns descended 50 percent to an estimated $1.33 million for a $13.6 million total in eight days. Lottery Ticket tumbled 71 percent to an estimated $1.1 million for $14.6 million in eight days.

Meanwhile, The Other Guys had a decent hold, easing 37 percent to an estimated $1.9 million and lifting its total to $94.6 million in 22 days, and Inception was unfazed again, slowing 35 percent to an estimated $1.4 million for a smashing $267.1 million tally in 43 days.

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Daily Grosses for Friday, Aug. 27