Box Office Report: Holdover ‘Puss in Boots’ Wins in Shocking Upset over Brett Ratner’s ‘Tower Heist’

In a dramatic weekend of highs and lows at the domestic box office, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount’s Puss in Boots purred its way to a $33 million second weekend–a mere 3 pecent drop from its $34.1 million debut–while Brett Ratner’s Ben Stiller–Eddie Murphy broad action comedy opened to a disappointing $25.1 million.

Paramount and DreamWorks Animation had contended that last weekend’s freak early storm on the East Coast took business away from Puss in Boots, and they proved to be right, based on the 3D toon’s record-breaking hold. The family film scored the tiniest drop ever for a non-holiday title, besting the prevous record holder Twister, which had a second weekend dip of 10 percent.

Paramount said the decision to move up the opening of Puss in Boots by one week, from Nov. 4 to Halloween weekend, paid off in spades, and that the film essentially enjoyed a two-weekend opening. Puss in Boots’ 10-day domestic cume is $75.5 million, still slightly behind other recent toons at the same point in time, but DreamWorks Animation hopes to catch up next weekend, which is the Veteran’s Day holiday.

“To have a hold at this level is extraordinary,” said DreamWorks Animation’s Anne Globe.

Heading into the weekend, Tower Heist was widely favored to win, while tracking showed Puss in Boots grossing less than $25 million.

Tower Heist’s underwhelming performance is a blow for Universal and Ratner, although the studio said the pic–also starring Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Tea Leoni, Michael Pena and Gabourey Sidibe–still fell within Universal’s expectations for a $25 million to $30 million opening (insiders say Universal needed the heist pic to open to at least $30 million.

The $85 million Tower Heist was produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Kim Roth, with Relativity Media putting up some of the financing.

Overseas, Tower Heist opened to a so-so $9.5 million from 23 territories for a worldwide bow of $34.6 million. In the U.S., the pic received a B CinemaScore and skewed older, despite being a broad PG-13 comedy. More than 70% of the audience was over the age of 25, while only 12 percent were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 15 percent, under the age of 18 (that demo gave the film the best grade, an A-). Males made up 56 percent of the audience.

Universal said Tower Heist was the victim of the overall soft marketplace. This weekend alone, domestic box office revenues were down 25 percent from a year ago.

“The film was impacted by what I believe is a general moviegoing malaise. I think Tower Heist is a terrifc film that was well marketed, and audiences enjoyed their experience, based on exit polls,” Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco said.

The film drew an ethnically diverse audience, with Caucasians making up 48 percent, African Americans 21 percent and Hispanics also 21 percent.

New Line and Warner Bros.’ A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas also disappointed, debuting to $13.1 million, well behind the $18 million projected by tracking services. However, the R-rated stoner comedy cost only $20 million to produce, so New Line and Warners’ exposure is limited. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay opened to $14.9 million.