"Gone Girl" hits No. 1 in worldwide box office

Mystery-thriller "Gone Girl" sits at the top of the worldwide box office with a $62.6 million weekend estimate.

Nationally, "Gone Girl" brought in slightly more than $37.5 million over its first three days, the 10th biggest October debut in history, according to media tracking firm Rentrak. It also busted director David Fincher's personal best for an opening.

The 20th Century Fox Film's most enthusiastic debut showing arguably took place in Cape Girardeau. The city was portrayed as fictional North Carthage in the film and hosted a red carpet event for special Thursday showings, the day before the national premiere. The event enjoyed strong attendance, attracting many interested in seeing familiar sights and even familiar faces, since 1,400 extras were recruited for the film, many of them local.

That outpouring of support continued well through the weekend. Exact numbers for ticket sales are not available, but Kevin Dillon, manager of Cape West 14 Cine in Cape Girardeau, said Fox and Fincher would be proud of the local support.

The film was shown on three screens over the weekend, with most of the evening shows selling out. Dillon said noon shows were half to three-quarters full.

"We were well above average when you look at ticket sales nationally," he said. "People of Cape Girardeau really came out and supported the movie."

Sold-out weekends are uncommon, Dillon said, but not completely unheard of. Popular film series such as "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" have historically done well in theaters and drawn sellout weekend crowds, he said. But in Dillon's experience, an average stand-alone film might have a couple sold-out shows at best.

"It's uncommon for one to totally sell out, especially on three screens," he said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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