海角大神

'Miss Peregrine' tops box office: How it beat rivals, even 'Deepwater Horizon'

The Tim Burton movie 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' came in No. 1 at the box office in its debut weekend. The film is based on the bestseller of the same name by Ransom Riggs.

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Moviegoers were apparently curious about the 鈥減eculiar children鈥� of director Tim Burton鈥檚 latest film, as 鈥淢iss Peregrine鈥檚 Home for Peculiar Children鈥� opened at No. 1 at the box office in its debut weekend.

鈥淧eregrine,鈥� which stars Eva Green as the head of a home for unusual children, grossed more than $28 million domestically.

Another new film this past weekend, 鈥淒eepwater Horizon,鈥� came in second place, bringing in more than $20 million. The film, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell, is based on the 2010 BP oil spill disaster.

What made 鈥淧eregrine鈥� succeed over other films, including 鈥淒eepwater鈥�?聽

The young adult book on which the film is based was a bestselling novel that spawned two sequels, so there was doubtless some prior awareness of the story from some of the audience.听

that younger moviegoers made up 55 percent of the U.S. audience under the age of 25. Females made up nearly 60 percent of ticket buyers.

"Tim Burton's creative touch and his original take on a best-selling book resonated with its target audience and has delivered something that younger moviegoers are seeking out," Fox domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson said Sunday.

And credited the movie鈥檚 opening weekend success to an intriguing story that made 鈥淧eregrine鈥� stand out from the crowd.听

鈥淥riginality, that often lamented missing ingredient in studio products, can lead to box office success, just as it can disappointment,鈥� Mr. Coyle writes. With 鈥淧eregrine,鈥� originality was a draw for moviegoers.听

Meanwhile, senior media analyst for comScore Paul Dergarabedian that Burton鈥檚 name being attached the project likely also brought in moviegoers.

鈥淭im Burton is one of the most unique voices in film and he builds his reputation on being so different from pretty much every other filmmaker,"聽Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, said.

But 海角大神's film critic Peter Rainer wasn't impressed.听

Burton鈥檚 movies always seem a full grade too grotesque for the whimsical stories he is trying to tell, as if he simply couldn鈥檛 rein in his darkest impulses. At least in 鈥淢iss聽Peregrine,鈥� his ghastliness fits the fable, although, even at its best, it鈥檚 fairly generic Burton.

Other movies topping the weekend box office included the western remake 鈥淭he Magnificent Seven,鈥� which came in third, grossing more than $15 million this past weekend after having opened earlier in September. The animated film 鈥淪torks,鈥� which also opened earlier in September, came in fourth, grossing more than $13 million, while the film 鈥淪ully,鈥� another September holdover, placed fifth, taking in more than $8 million this past weekend.