For the second straight Friday Brad Pitt’s “Moneyball” won the box office battle, beating out several movies that premiered this week.
“Moneyball” about Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane took in $3.8 million on Friday, according to estimates by Box Office Mojo. The movie, which was inspired by Michael Lewis’ book with the same title, has earned $29.8 million as of Friday night.
“Courageous” and “50/50”—two films that hit theaters for the first time on Friday were outshined by three movies that already debuted prior to Friday.
Although it received much better reviews from critics on the popular movie website Rotten Tomatoes, the latter came in fifth, earning $2.8 million. “50/50”—starring, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick—is inspired by a true story, about a young man who is diagnosed with cancer, and is aided by his best friend during his journey to good health.
Beating it out for fourth in the box office race was “Courageous,” about a group of police officers who face tragedy and learn to turn to God, as they struggle to be better fathers.
Although both movies tell a story of friendship, critics weren’t as inspired by the tale of law enforcement buddies looking to build better relationships with their families, giving “50/50” a combined rating of 92 percent. “Courageous” received a humbling 50 percent rating—but it still won on Friday.
Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel said in his review: “Like a pastor so caught up in the moment that he can’t see that the air conditioning has given out and the congregation wants to go home, the film travels far beyond its dramatic climax, aiming for an altar call finale.”
