New Line Cinema's Final Destination 3 opened with an impressive $19,173,000 performance at the box office this weekend, marking the most successful opening in the franchise's history.

Final Destination 3, which opened in 2,880 theaters, improved on the openings of the first two installments of the franchise significantly – the first Final Destination opened to $10 million in 2000, while Final Destination 2 opened to $16 million in 2003. Additionally, the opening of Final Destination 3 surpassed the opening performance of the recent hit horror film Hostel. The $19,173,000 opening placed Final Destination 3 in a close second place at the box office this weekend, approximately $1 million behind The Pink Panther, which opened in nearly 600 more theaters. The $6,657 per screen average for Final Destination 3 was also the highest of any film for the weekend.

"This Final Destination 3 opening can be attributed to a number of factors including the franchise's loyal audience; the success of the previous films on DVD and video; the strong appeal of the 'cheating death' concept that is at the core of the franchise; and the enduring appeal of horror movies," says David Tuckerman, New Line's President of Theatrical Distribution.

Set six years after the original Final Destination film, Final Destination 3 centers around a high school senior who has a premonition of a fatal roller coaster accident involving herself and all her friends. When the premonition proves true, those who have "cheated death" and survived the accident are forced to deal with the repercussions of escaping their fate. Final Destination 3 stars Ryan Merriman (The Ring Two) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film is directed by James Wong (Final Destination).

About New Line Cinema Corporation:
Founded almost 40 years ago, New Line Cinema is the most successful independent film company in the world. Its mission is to produce innovative, popular and profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, the fully-integrated studio has divisions devoted to home entertainment, television, music, theater, merchandising and an international unit. In 2005, New Line partnered with HBO to form Picturehouse, a new theatrical distribution company to release independent films. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line's Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in history. New Line is a division of Time Warner, Inc. (TWX).