Hansel and Gretel Wins, Movie 43 Bombs

Winter weather cripples R-rated films

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 27, 2013 2:10 PM CST

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Hansel and Gretel Wins, Movie 43 Bombs — This image released by Relativity Media shows Kate Bosworth, left, and Richard Gere in a scene from "Movie 43." (AP Photo/Relativity Media, Jessica Miglio)

A bone-chilling rush of weather spelled bad news for three new R-rated films at the domestic box office, says the Hollywood Reporter. The poorly reviewed action-comedy Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ($19 million) starring Jeremy Renner limped into first, while Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez misfired with Parker ($7 million) and Movie 43 ($5 million) found a small crowd despite its all-star cast. "People simply stopped going out Friday night in the affected regions," says a Paramount exec. "Your nighttime business is everything when you have an R-rated film." Jessica Chastain's PG-13 horror flick Mama ($12.9 million) continued to thrive amid the R-rated-film glut, followed by Silver Linings Playbook ($10 million) and Zero Dark Thirty ($9.8 million).