(IF YOU LIKED WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, YOU’LL LOVE G-FORCE. Thanks but no thanks, Washington Post.)

Where the Wild Things Are landed at number one with $32 million, exceeding studio expectations and spawning countless rumpus puns.  People were sort of worried about it because they weren’t sure whether it was a kids film.  Turns out it’s not, it didn’t matter, and kids don’t know anything anyway so screw them.  Overall the box office was up 39% over the same weekend last year, which means there’s plenty of money for your unproduced script graphic novel, provided it involves zombies.

Law Abiding Citizen was a surprising number two, and made $21 mil, despite awful reviews and, to my eyes, looking pretty generic.  But good for Jamie Foxx, he’s always seemed so humble.

Paranormal Activity made $20 mil for the weekend and is up to $34 mil total, which isn’t bad on a $15,000 production budget.  And that was on only 760 screens (compared to WTWTA’s 3,735).  It will continue to expand and if it doesn’t earn more than Saw VI when it comes out in two weeks, there is no God.

Film Weekend Per Screen Total
1 Where the Wild Things Are $32,470,000 $8,693 $32,470,000
2 Law Abiding Citizen $21,250,000 $7,353 $21,250,000
3 Paranormal Activity $20,163,000 (+155.2%) $26,530 $33,717,000
4 Couples Retreat $17,949,000 (-47.7%) $5,965 $63,339,000
5 The Stepfather $12,300,000 $4,499 $12,300,000
6 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $8,100,000 (-29.7%) $2,667 $108,284,000
7 Zombieland $7,800,000 (-47.3%) $2,460 $60,823,000
8 Toy Story Double Feature $3,011,000 (-61.2%) $2,022 $28,594,000
9 Surrogates $1,922,000 (-55.0%) $826 $36,332,000
10 The Invention of Lying $1,905,000 (-43.0%) $1,173 $15,495,000

(Black Dynamite made $141,000 on 70 screens, in case you were wondering).

[via CHUD, BoxOfficeMojo -- banner pic courtesy of Xvi]

SITE NEWS NOTE: Sorry about the late start today, folks.  My flight got delayed and I spent the next four hours sitting next to some chick who breathed really loud — and she kept waking up when I’d try to hold her mouth and nose shut.  Anyway, I’m running on very little sleep.  Things could get weird today.