Making It Big on the Big Screen

Dennis Lehane fans who were apprehensive about the film adaptation of that writer’s 2003 book can once again draw breath: the movie opened Friday to critical applause and box-office records. By all accounts, Shutter Island will be an even bigger hit than the wonderful film based on Lehane’s Mystic River. From the Los Angeles Times:

Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and a set of gothic thrills proved to be a huge draw at the box office this weekend, as Shutter Island, Paramount’s psychological thriller based on Dennis Lehane’s bestselling novel, earned $40.2 million domestically, according to the studio.

The number is the best-ever opening for director Scorsese and star DiCaprio, the latter of whom had reached the $30-million mark only once (with Catch Me If You Can, more than seven years ago). Many box-office experts had predicted an opening in the low-mid $30s, with any gross over $35 million considered a notable success.

January Magazine’s 2003 review of the novel Shutter Island can be enjoyed here. The magazine has also run a pair of exclusive interviews with Lehane: in 1999 and 2001.

READ MORE: “Film Review: Shutter Island,” by Pete Dragovich (Crimespree Cinema).