Inferno Finds Hell's Basement

Tom Hanks and Ron Howard's latest Dan Brown adaptation, Inferno, went up in flames at the weekend box office, handing Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween a surprise victory. Perry's latest Madea movie remained No. 1 for the second straight week, reports the AP, topping the North American box office with an estimated $16.6 million. That was enough to scare away the third installment of the Da Vinci Code franchise. According to studio estimates Sunday, Inferno bombed with $15 million, about half of what more bullish predictions anticipated. The movie was critically reviled.

Sony Pictures and Inferno could take solace in stronger overseas business. In two weeks of international release, it's earned nearly $150 million. The studio also stressed that the $75 million budget for Inferno was half that of The Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons. (More Inferno stories.)