Ah, smells like grownup season at the multiplex! If it's October, that means it's now safe for movie lovers over the age of 25 to venture forth secure in the knowledge that they'll find something to see that doesn't involve pirates, robots, or anybody in a cape. Not that there's anything wrong with pirates, robots, or capes -- I love 'em, and love movies about 'em, and I ain't seen 25 in a long while. But I look forward to the autumnal arrival of movies with a bit more gravitas just as I welcome the turning of the leaves and the new chill in the breeze.

And it seems I am not alone. Martin Scorsese's latest crime drama, The Departed [my review] thrilled fans of serious film to the tune of $27 million this past weekend -- even better than the $23.3 million Laremy predicted on Friday, which he deemed (correctly) would be a "tremendous weekend" for the film. Indeed, this is Scorsese's biggest opening ever, not just dollarwise but theaterwise, too -- with The Departed playing at more than 3,000 venues, opportunities were rife to see what is the best reviewed film of the year (according to Rotten Tomatoes, with a Freshness rating of 92 percent), and opportunities were taken. It's certainly one of the best films I've seen all year: Scorsese is on fire like he hasn't been since GoodFellas, and while Jack Nicholson is probably a shoo-in for all sorts of Best Supporting Actor awards, I've got a sneaking suspicion that Leonardo DiCaprio is gonna be feeling some Best Actor love, too.

In expanding releases, two other must-sees and gonna-be awards contenders continue to perform royally: The Queen added eight screens and saw its box office take leap almost 229 percent(!), and The Last King of Scotland added 26 screens and jumped almost 110 percent. If these aren't playing near you now, they probably will be soon, with movie lovers throwing money at them like this.

I am extremely disappointed, but not at all surprised, to see that the scare-free but sadistic Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning [my review] managed to separate moviegoers from a little over $19 million of their money. That's almost $10 million less than the 2003 remake of Tobe Hooper's still-terrifying 1970s classic earned in its debut weekend three years ago, which suggests that even horror fans may not want to sit through this pointless prequel, but it's still way more than the flick deserves. Perhaps we'll now be spared future killing sprees on our wallets.

(Box office numbers via Box Office Mojo.)

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MaryAnn Johanson
author of The Totally Geeky Guide to The Princess Bride
minder of FlickFilosopher.com

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