LOTS OF EMPTY SEATS AT THEATERS

It was the quiet before the storm that is expected to roll in in two weeks with the release of Paramount’s Christopher Nolan-directed Interstellar and Disney’s animated Big Hero 6. The Halloween weekend coming up is also expected to keep the damper on business at the box office. This past weekend saw not a single film earn $20 million or more, although Ouija came close, bringing in $19.9 million — still, a far cry from the $32.1 million that Paramount’s Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa brought in during the comparable weekend a year ago. Nevertheless, the overall box office for the weekend was up 8.8 percent above last year’s (which also saw the fourth week of Gravity pull down $20.1 million). Coming in second over the weekend was Summit Entertainment’s John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves, with $14.4 million. It edged out the second week of the Brad Pitt starrer Fury, with $13.4 million.