‘Gone Girl’: 3 Reasons Why the Thriller Rocked at the Box Office

The David Fincher-directed thriller "Gone Girl" was the big box office winner this weekend, exceeding expectations and taking in a healthy $38 million.

Here are three reasons why:

1. “Gone Girl” got rave reviews, great word of mouth and garnered a pretty strong fan base from those who loved the Gillian Flynn novel. The film drew in a 60% female audience and notched an 87% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

2. The film has an almost perfect cast. Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, the guy suspected of murdering his missing wife Amy Dunne, portrayed with chilling precision by Rosamund Pike. There are also standout performances from the entire supporting cast, including Carrie Coon (as Nick's twin sister, Margo, pictured above); Tyler Perry (as Nick's lawyer, Tanner Bolt); Kim Dickens (as local Detective Rhonda Boney); and Neil Patrick Harris (as Amy's former boyfriend, Desi Collings).

3. Director David Fincher simply doesn't disappoint. With a film resume that includes “Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “The Social Network” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Fincher is at the top of his game, and most likely will see Oscar love for “Gone Girl” as the awards season heats up.