Military drama "Act of Valor" claimed the No. 1 spot on movie box office charts, beating expectations with an estimated $24.7 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales during another busy weekend at theaters.
"Act of Valor" stars real-life, active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs alongside professional actors in a fictional story about a mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA agent. Some scenes used live fire rather than visual effects. Audiences liked the movie, awarding an "A" grade in polling by survey firm CinemaScore and providing high marks in studio exit polls, said Kyle Davies, president of worldwide theatrical distribution for Relativity Media, the independent studio that released the film. "You don't get a consistent reaction like that unless the movie delivers," he said.
The movie attracted a 71 percent male audience, and 60 percent of filmgoers were older than age 25, Relativity said. The studio acquired the film for $13 million and had projected opening weekend sales of up to $17 million. |