'The Master' smashes box-office records

"We knew we would do a lot of business but we didn't think it would be this big," Lomis said. "We knew from not only the pop-up screenings and the guerrilla marketing PTA does but also from the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto (International) Film Festival that we had something special. But you can never expect these kinds of numbers — it blew the doors off the theaters."

As Dergarabedian phrased it: "Paul Thomas Anderson, among film buffs and film fans, is a directing god. He's on Mount Rushmore with Christopher Nolan and some other great filmmakers. When he puts out a movie, it's a long lead time — we're forced to wait for a new Paul Thomas Anderson film. 'There Will Be Blood' was 2007.

"In the independent world, directors are the stars," he added. "They draw people to the theater and fill theaters."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Resident Evil: Retribution," $21.1 million ($50 million international).

2. "Finding Nemo," $17.5 million.

3. "The Possession," $5.8 million.

4. "Lawless," $4.2 million.

5. "ParaNorman," $3 million.

6. "The Expendables 2," $3 million ($7.5 million international).

7. "The Words," $2.88 million.

8. "The Bourne Legacy," $2.875 million ($9.1 million international).

9. "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," $2.5 million.

10. "The Campaign," $2.4 million.

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "Resident Evil: Retribution," $50 million.

2. "The Bourne Legacy," $9.1 million.

3. "Masquerade," $8.3 million.

4. "Ted," $8.1 million.

5. "The Expendables 2," $7.5 million.

6. "Prometheus," $7.1 million.

7. (tie) "Brave," $6.9 million.

1. "Madagascar 3," $6.9 million.

2. "The Dark Knight Rises," $6.4 million.

3. "The Watch," $4.3 million.

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.