Audiences haven't tired of Kate Beckinsale as a butt-kicking heroine — the fourth installment of Sony Pictures' "Underworld" series debuted to healthy ticket sales over the weekend.
The vampire action-thriller "Underworld: Awakening" opened to $25.4 million, according to an estimate from the studio's Screen Gems label. Meanwhile, George Lucas' "Red Tails" — about the Tuskegee Airmen — exceeded industry expectations, selling $19.1-million worth of tickets.
"Underworld: Awakening" cost Sony and Lakeshore Entertainment about $70 million to produce. The film is the first in the vampire series to be offered in 3-D, and 59% of those who saw the movie this weekend opted to buy the pricier ticket to see it in that format. Audiences liked the film, assigning it an average grade of A-, according to marketing firm CinemaScore.
"Awakening" had a better opening than the third entry in the series, "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," which started with $20.8 million in 2009. It still debuted with slightly less than the franchise's second installment, "Underworld: Evolution," which opened to $26.9 million in 2006. That film ultimately grossed more than any other picture in the series, totaling $62.3 million in sales by the end of its run.
The movie appealed largely to an African American audience this weekend, and 66% of the crowd was older than 25. Those who saw the film loved it, giving it an average grade of A. Like the new "Underworld" film, "Red Tails" has received overwhelmingly negative reviews.
The movie played to an older demographic, with 82% of the crowd over 25. It appealed to a broad audience across the country: The No. 1 theater in the U.S. was in Oklahoma City, and other top markets included cities as diverse as Boca Raton, Fla., and Chino Hills.
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