'Wall Street' Cashes In
Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 9:52PM 
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Oliver Stone's long-gestating sequel to his 80's hit about greed, took the top rung at the box office over its opening weekend. The film brought in $19 million, a strong start considering the original brought in only $4 million in its opening weekend 23 years ago. Adjusted for inflation, the original Wall Street would have had an opening worth approximately $8 million, on its way to an adjusted total of around $90 million ($44 million in 1987 dollars). Reviews for the sequel have not been strong, however, so expect it to have a big drop in its second weekend. Once home video and other ancillary revenues are in, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps should be profitable, but it may not recoup its $60 million budget in theaters.
Second place went to another new film, Warner Bros' Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. The clumsily-titled, kid-friendly, owl picture brought in an estimated $16.3 million over its opening weekend. With a 50% tomatometer rating and a $100 million budget, the Zack Snyder-directed film will likely have a hard time making it into the black.