Zombieland - Box Office Hit, Twitter Buzz

Zombieland blew away the box office competition this weekend, coming in at number one ahead of The Invention of Lying and Whip It. While Lying opened at $7.4 million and Whip It opened even lower at just $4.9 million, Zombieland opened at a killer $25 million. It cost Relativity Media and Sony $23.6 million to produce, and marks the sixth time this year a Sony film has opened in the number one spot.

In a year that has seen star power diminish at the box office, this weekend proved to be no different. Woody Harrelson, though certainly a solid industry veteran, and Jesse Eisenberg of Zombieland were able to draw in more crowds than both Ricky Gervais's and Drew Barrymore's films combined. Maybe it was because people just weren't into watching a romantic comedy or an indie film this weekend. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because people wanted to spend about an hour and a half watching Harrelson and Eisenberg have a hell of an awesome time blasting a bunch of blood-thirsty zombies into oblivion. Yeah, that sounds like some good fun.

Zombie comedies, or "zomcoms" as they are now referred to in the blogosphere, are in and funnier than ever and Zombieland, similar to the likes of Shaun of the Dead, is now yet another solid addition to this subgenre. No, you aren't going to come out of this movie questioning the meaning of life, but if it's violence and humor you're after - then look no further. In the true vein of zomcoms, Zombieland delivers the goods and there's no shortage of visceral humor or splattering gore. Rough and tough good ole' boy Tallahassee (Harrelson) and neurotic but charming Columbus (Eisenberg) play off each other effortlessly, and the fetching Wichita (Emma Stone) and younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) round off the cast as two girls who trick them out of their weapons and their ride. The four end up joining forces despite differences to battle their dead counterparts, and what ensues is pure hell on wheels.

The movie's success has now spilled into the social media realm, becoming Twitter's hot trending topic as tweeters share their movie-watching experiences with followers. Tweeters everywhere are posting about zombies, Twinkies, or Harrelson himself - yup, it's pretty much Zombieland fever and tweets like "Zombieland = Pure entertainment. Fun!" keep on coming. Just another example of the Internet effectively steering audiences away from bad buzz and toward what they really want to watch.

Didn't make it to the theater this weekend? Well then, check out the official trailer below and experience for yourself just a taste of the bloody mayhem and explosive humor that is Zombieland.