Friday Box Office – THE FINAL DESTINATION Slashes Past HALLOWEEN 2 for First Place

This weekend’s box office race represents that rare instance in the usually well-plotted Hollywood release schedule when two films, aimed at precisely the same target audience, were unveiled on the same Friday.  The calendar-challenged competitors in question were Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” and WB/New Line’s “The Final Destination”… two horror franchises, two hard-R ratings.  But, on summer’s final Friday, “The Final Destination” got the jump on its rival thanks to those extra-lucrative 3D ticket prices.  It’s not all bad news for the the Weinsteins, however.  “Inglourious Basterds” held better than expected on its second Friday, which means that both of the struggling studio’s current releases may be battling for second place by Sunday.  Check back tomorrow when all final destinations are revealed.