The initial value and the sharp rise on Thursday recalled the days before Lehman Brothers collapsed, and the gains bucked another weak session for Asian stock markets.
A particularly weak session that fell roughly 22% against the same period in 2012 enabled the Melissa McCarthy comedy Identity Thief to creep back up to number one as Summit's crime drama Snitch failed to capitalise.
Overall, takings are 2% down on the previous frame, but a handy 11% up on the equivalent weekend from 2015, when a very weak session for new releases saw an unchanged top three (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Focus, Fifty Shades of Grey).
Technology shares were among the best performers in the weak session, but could not keep the Nasdaq from falling 7 points, or 0.4%, to 1,743.
In a generally weak session financials were scuffling, as investors continued to stew over a $3.3 billion loss from Washington Mutual, reported Tuesday, which led Moody's to threaten a downgrade to the bank's ratings due to a lack of financial flexibility.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index has threatened to slip below the psychologically important level of 10,000 several times in recent days, and appears to be only a few weak sessions away from another benchmark of decline: closing below the level of the Dow Jones industrial average, which it has not done since 1957.
Overseas, stock markets edged slightly higher on hopes that Wall Street would begin to recover in the wake of four weak sessions.
Finally, the stock market looks set to open on a positive note today, but Wall Street remains cautious following four weak sessions.
Stocks were weaker, but off session lows, as soaring oil and mixed economic news rattled investors.
U.S. stocks kicked off the session weaker, on some disappointing guidance from AOL Time Warner.
