'Hotel Transylvania' Box Office: Film Looks To Dance Past September Record

'Hotel Transylvania' Sets Records
Actor Adam Sandler attends the "Hotel Transylvania" premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Actor Adam Sandler attends the "Hotel Transylvania" premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

It looks a little bit of life has finally found its way to the box office. After a dismal, sclerotic stretch of disappointing box office returns (with the exception of "The Master"), moviegoers were apparently hooked by "Hotel Transylvania" and "Looper."

That's good news for Sony, who distributed both of the films. "Transylvania" raked in an estimated $11 million on Friday, putting it on track for a highly impressive $38-40 million weekend. That's a record: As Deadline.com notes, the best September opening weekend used to belong to 2002's "Sweet Home Alabama," with $35.6 (that figure has not been adjusted for inflation).

Though "Hotel Transylvania" also benefitted from a 3-D boost, it's still quite a strong debut -- especially given the film's tepid reviews. The movie -- which features the voices of Kevin James, Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez -- is currently sitting at a 41 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The much-ballyhooed "Looper" turned out to be Sony's second stunner of the weekend. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, the Rian Johnson film dialed up $6.8 million for a projected weekend of just under $20 million.

Musical comedy "Pitch Perfect" made a splash in limited release, earning $1.7 million on Friday and eyeing a $4.9 million weekend. The film stars Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow and has been hailed as an outstanding example of the rising tide of female-written comedies.

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