HOLLYWOOD NEWS

September 8, 2007–James Mangold's Western remake “3:10 to Yuma” made on opening day a domestic gross of $4.5 million for Lionsgate, putting the Russell Crowe-Christian Bale vehicle on top.

“Yuma” nabbed the second-best opening day gross after “Unforgiven” in kicking off the fall awards season. Weekend take is expected to reach $14 million, according to estimates.

R-rated 'Yuma' had no trouble placing ahead of the Weinstein Co. and MGM's holdover “Halloween,” which grossed $3 million on Friday, a decline of 73% over opening day a week ago. Including Friday's box office receipts, cume is $37.2 million. Horror pic, playing in 3,475 locations, is expected to come in No. 2 for the weekend at around $9 million.

The weekend's other wide opening, New Line's “Shoot 'Em Up,” starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamattic, grossed an estimated $2 million on Friday from 2,108 locations, placing it at No. 4.

“Yuma” did well, considering that Westerns are a difficult genre. Studio even moved up the release of “Yuma” to this weekend in order to give more breathing room before the bow later this month of another high-profile Western and awards hopeful, Warner's Brad Pitt starrer “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Frod.”

Among dramatic Westerns, “Unforgiven” had an opening day gross of $4.7 million and a weekend cume of $15 million. “Open Range” had an opening day take of $4.2 million in 2003 and an opening weekend gross of $14 million.

It is Mangold's first film since the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line.”

Taking No. 3 on Friday was Sony's R-rated laffer “Superbad,” which made an estimated $2.4 million from 3,069 theaters for a cumulative of $98.1 million. Comedy, in its fourth frame, is easily expected to cross the $100 million mark this weekend.

Universal's “The Bourne Ultimatum” grossed an estimated $1.6 million on Friday from 3,000 locations for a cume of $206.3 million and putting it at No. 5.

In its second frame, Rogue Pictures' sports parody “Balls of Fury” grossed an estimated $1.6 million on Friday from 3,081 locations, a decline of 56% from opening day a week ago. Cume is $20.2 million.