Box Office: “Hugo,” “The Artist” Prove Smart Audience Exists

Just when you thought the world had gone to hell, there are flickers of hope: “The Artist,” “Hugo,” and “My Week with Marilyn”– movies in which no vampires appear–did great over the weekend. Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist,” which just won Best Picture and Director from the New York Film Critics–is in very limited release and a total hit. It sold out on every one of its six screens, and took in a daily average of $12,000 per screen. “My Week with Marilyn,” directed by Simon Curtis, was a hot ticket as well. People are clamoring to see Michelle Williams in her raved about performance. The movie is playing on just 244 screens and has made a total of $3.8 million through today. This is just the beginning for both of these, as well as Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” in 3D. Scorsese must be at the jaw drop stage. “Hugo” will finish the weekend with a total of $25 million. It’s only on 1,800 screens, and is number three at the box office following “Twilight: Everyone Pouts, Part 6” and “The Muppets.”