Despite good reviews and a classic Tim Burton feel, Frankenweenie underperformed at the box office this weekend.

OK, $11.5 million isn't a total disaster, but it's not good for an opening weekend, especially when the stop-motion animation film cost $39 million to make.

Contrast that with Taken 2, which earned $50 million and cost the studio $42 million. The sequel's opening is the third-best October opening ever, though it may not reach the $145 million heights of the original Taken.

So, yes, once again a sequel — in this case, really just a regurgitation of the first film — bested a more original creation. (Frankenweenie is based on a Tim Burton short, but the point stands.) But there were some pleasant surprised in the Top 5: well-liked musical comedy Pitch Perfect ($14.7 million) and innovative sci-fi thriller Looper ($12.2 million).

Overall a good weekend, especially for October. And a surprisingly well reviewed one. Well, sure, Taken 2 wasn't a hit with critics, but audiences love it.

[Image via AP/20th Century Fox]