Box Office: 'Fury' Leads The Way With $23.5 Million Debut

Brad Pitt and a squadron of up-and-coming actors held off “Gone Girl” at the multiplexes this weekend as “Fury” topped box office charts with a $23.5 million debut.

Despite surrendering first place after two weeks wearing the crown, “Gone Girl” showed some impressive stamina. David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling mystery dropped just 32% to $17.8 million. Its total now stands at $107.1 million and is striking distance of surpassing “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” ($127.5 million) as Fincher’s highest-grossing domestic release. Water cooler effect achieved.

“It’s one of those movies that it’s so provocative that if you haven’t seen it yet, you have to in order to be part of the conversation,” said Chris Aronson, distribution chief at 20th Century Fox, the studio behind “Gone Girl.” “It’s as simple as that.”