"Hotel Transylvania" and "Looper" Bring Big Box Office Results

It seems audiences around the country have finally found a reason to hit the theaters as box office sales debuted with big numbers this weekend.

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Ticket sales were up 44 percent from last week, according to Exhibitor Relations.

Coming in at the top of the list with $43 million for weekend pre estimates is the animated Hotel Transylvania. The kid flick is the highest grossing film since this summer's big hit, The Dark Knight Rises, as well as a record maker for the September box office. The film stars voice work from big names such as Adam Sandler as Dracula along with Selena Gomez playing his daughter.

At the number two spot was the time-travel action film Looper. For working on what Hollywood would consider a cheap budget for a film of its caliber, at only $30 million, it's so far brought in $21.2 million. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star as the same character, a mob hitman with one from the future and the other from the past. This may turn out to be the most profitable film for both actors as Gordon-Levitt's Premium Rush and Willis's The Expendables 2 both had relatively poor box office results.

The surprise hit of the weekend turned out to be Pitch Perfect as it hasn't officially opened. The film was released as a pre-screening to only 335 theaters nationwide. It took in $5.2 million and will debut this Friday to 2,800 theaters for its official release. The film revolves around Anna Kendrick and an all college girl's singing group who sing against their male counterparts for a campus competition.

Here's the list of the top ten weekend movies with estimated earnings by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Hotel Transylvania, $43 million
2. Looper, $21.2 million
3. End of Watch, $8 million
4. Trouble With the Curve, $7.5 million
5. House at the End of the Street, $7.2 million
6. Pitch Perfect, $5.2 million
7. Finding Nemo, $4.1 million
8. Resident Evil: Retribution, $3 million
9. The Master, $2.7 million
10. Won't Back Down, $2.7 million