HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - Low-budget horror film The Purge scared up US$36.4 million in ticket sales to lead the domestic box office in its first week in domestic theaters, zooming past the car-racing action film Fast & Furious 6.
The Internship, a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson based on the antics of nerds in search of a job at internet giant Google, sold US$18.1 million worth of tickets to finish fourth, according to studio estimates of sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters.
The film reunited Vaughn and Wilson who teamed to make Wedding Crashers in 2005. That movie generated US$209.3 million in domestic ticket sales, according to the site Box Office Mojo.
The duo's latest effort was projected by industry experts to gross a modest US$17 million in ticket sales.
The Purge, made for US$3 million by the producer of the low-budget Paranormal Activity horror series, stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey in a futuristic story of the United States in 2022 in which the government reduces crime by allowing almost all crime to go unpunished during a 12-hour "purge" period.
Part science fiction, part horror film, The Purge was dismissed by critics but eagerly awaited by horror fans. Industry experts had forecast it would sell US$20 million worth of tickets.
Universal Studios' president for domestic distribution Nikki Rocco attributed the film's success to its marketing and social media campaign.
Rocco also said that the time was ripe at the box office for a low-budget horror film like The Purge.
"The timing was perfect," she said. "In the last month or two there's been a definable slot for this kind of movie."
Fast & Furious, the sixth installment of the series starring Vin Diesel racked up US$19.8 million to take second place, bringing its total since Memorial Day to nearly US$202.9 million domestically and US$584.6 million globally.
The sixth installment in the billion-dollar franchise takes the action to London, where Diesel and co-star Dwyane Johnson lead their crew on a mission to take down an international ring.
In third place, the comedy heist caper Now You See Me continued its stronger-than-expected showing with US$19.5 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, finishing in third place.
The post-apocalyptic After Earth, starring Smith and his teenage son Jaden Smith, continued its weak showing at the U.S. and Canadian box office with US$11.2 million.
The film has generated US$46.6 million in total domestic sales, Will Smith's weakest performance since the 1993 film Made In America that grossed US$44.9 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
After Earth did perform strongly overseas, opening with US$45.5 million in 60 territories over the weekend.
Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures' president of worldwide distribution, said that Sony was happy with the overseas opening and expects much of the film's ticket sales to come from international markets.
"It definitely was the exciting start we were looking for internationally," he said.
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