A Slow Weekend at the Box Office

September 9, 2012, 12:10 pm

By BROOKS BARNES

The fall movie season got under way, just barely, with what may turn out to be one of the least-attended weekends at cinemas in years. The only new release of note was “The Words” (CBS Films), a poorly reviewed drama about a plagiarizing novelist. It placed third, taking in about $5 million; CBS paid $2 million for domestic distribution rights. The No. 1 movie was a holdover: “The Possession” (Lionsgate) took in an estimated $9.5 million, for a two-week total of about $33.3 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. The Weinstein Company's “Lawless” was second, selling about $6 million in tickets, for a two-week total of $23.5 million. In its fourth weekend “The Expenda bles 2” (Lionsgate) placed fourth, grossing about $4.8 million and lifting its total to $75.4 million. “The Bourne Legacy” (Universal Pictures) was fifth, taking in an estimated $4 million, for a five-week total of $103.7 million. Deadline.com summed up the weak box-office results this way: “The weekend of Sept. 5, 2008, was the last time no films grossed over $10 million. Ouch!”