Rebooted 'Pirates' sets overseas box office record

NEW YORK (AP) — The reengineered "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise has sailed again at the box office, as the "On Stranger Tides" sequel took a record international haul of $256.3 million, according to studio estimates.

Walt Disney Co. said Sunday that the fourth "Pirates" installment earned $90.1 million domestically. That gives it a worldwide total of $346.4 million, the fourth largest global opening.

The new film jettisons co-stars Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, but brings back Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane introduce new characters.

"On Stranger Tides" was the only new film in wide-release on the weekend. In its second week of release, the acclaimed comedy "Bridesmaids" was second at the box office with $21 million.

'Thor' hammers 'Bridesmaids' at box office

"Thor" nailed down the No. 1 spot at the box office again.

Paramount's 3-D superhero film starring Chris Hemsworth as Marvel's hammer-toting god of thunder earned $34.5 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That brings the total haul of "Thor" to $119.2 million, though not quite as impressive as fellow comic book hero "Iron Man 2," which earned $211.2 million by its second weekend the same time last year.

"`Thor' had a really great playing field to work on for its second weekend in theaters," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "For a big-budget Marvel Comics film that opened very solidly to drop only 48 percent indicates some very strong word of mouth. I think Kenneth Branagh being the director really brought a lot to the table."

Universal's "Bridesmaids," the raunchy comedy starring Kristen Wiig as a down-on-her-luck maid of honor, debuted above expectations in second place with $24.4 million. Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, attributed the movie's good reviews and word of mouth to wide audience appeal: 67 percent of the audience was female; 33 percent male.

"That's pretty good considering this is a picture titled 'Bridesmaids,'" said Rocco.

The next adversary for "Thor" arrives next week with the opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth film in the blockbuster Disney franchise starring Johnny Depp as mischievous pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow. On Memorial Day weekend come the sequels "The Hangover Part II" from Warner Bros. and "Kung Fu Panda 2" from Paramount.

"The cavalry is about to arrive," said Dergarabedian. "We're poised for a strong Memorial Day weekend. We're down year-to-date about 13 percent on revenue. A month ago, we were down 20 percent. We're making up ground, and this weekend was down only 3 percent, which is impressive considering the strength of 'Iron Man 2' in its second weekend a year ago."

Universal's car-racing sequel "Fast Five" with Dwayne Johnson shifted into the third position with $19.5 million in its third weekend in theaters.

Sony's 3-D vampire-hunting graphic novel adaptation "Priest" opened in fourth place with $14.5 million, while Fox's animated bird tale "Rio" landed at fifth place with $8 million in its fifth weekend in theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Thor," $34.5 million.

2. "Bridesmaids," $24.4 million.

3. "Fast Five," $19.5 million.

4. "Priest," $14.5 million.

5. "Rio," $8 million.

6. "Jumping the Broom," $7.3 million.

7. "Something Borrowed," $7 million.

8. "Water for Elephants," $4.1 million.

9. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family," $2.2 million.

10. "Soul Surfer," $1.8 million.
(AP)

`Limitless' wins weekend with $18.9M debut

LOS ANGELES: "Limitless," starring Bradley Cooper as an author who taps his full brain potential after sampling a revolutionary new drug, topped North America's weekend box office, data showed Monday.

The darkly comic thriller film benefited from a charismatic lead actor in Cooper, of 2009 smash hit "The Hangover," to make $18.9 million in its debut weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In second place was Paramount's eccentric animated film "Rango," with the voice talent of Johnny Depp in a tale about a chameleon who becomes sheriff to clean up the town of Dirt, had $15.1 million in ticket sales.

Slipping from the top spot to third was "Battle: Los Angeles," which tells the story of a unit of US Marines fighting invading aliens. The film took in $14.5 million across North America.

The Matthew McConaughey-starring drama "The Lincoln Lawyer" debuted in the fourth spot, with $13.2 million, while British comic star Simon Pegg's science fiction romp "Paul" took $13 million, also in its opening weekend.

In sixth was "Red Riding Hood," a gothic retelling of the classic fairy tale, starring Amanda Seyfried as a strong-willed teenager in a love triangle, had $7.2 million in sales as it slid three spots in its second weekend.

Thriller "The Adjustment Bureau" had $58 million in takings for the seventh spot, while Disney's "Mars Needs Moms!" slipped three slots for this weekend's number eight with $5.3 million in estimated sales.

Ninth place went to critically panned teen romance flick "Beastly" with $3.2 million, ahead of comedy "Hall Pass" with $2.6 million. (AFP)

'Battle: LA' tops box office with $35.6 million

NEW YORK (AP) — The alien invasion sci-fi blockbuster "Battle: Los Angeles" conquered the box office with a $35.6 million debut.

Other new releases performed poorly. The gothic fairy tale adaptation "Red Riding Hood" took in $14 million, while Disney's 3-D animated "Mars Needs Moms!" managed just $6.9 million.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Battle: Los Angeles," Sony/Columbia, $35,573,187, 3,417 locations, $10,411 average, $35,573,187, one week.
2. "Rango," Paramount, $22,602,847, 3,923 locations, $5,762 average, $68,206,101, two weeks.
3. "Red Riding Hood," Warner Bros., $14,005,335, 3,030 locations, $4,622 average, $14,005,335, one week.
4. "The Adjustment Bureau," Universal, $11,597,335, 2,847 locations, $4,074 average, $38,589,595, two weeks.
5. "Mars Needs Moms!" Disney, $6,914,488, 3,117 locations, $2,218 average, $6,914,488, one week.
6. "Beastly," CBS Films, $5,021,232, 1,959 locations, $2,563 average, $16,911,633, two weeks.
7. "Hall Pass," Warner Bros., $5,011,020, 2,555 locations, $1,961 average, $34,842,289, three weeks.
8. "Just Go With It," Sony, $4,019,266, 2,398 locations, $1,676 average, $94,000,847, five weeks.
9. "Gnomeo and Juliet," Disney, $3,617,255, 2,585 locations, $1,399 average, $89,102,365, five weeks.
10. "The King's Speech," Weinstein Co., $3,573,112, 1,768 locations, $2,021 average, $129,010,235, 16 weeks.
11. "Unknown," Warner Bros., $3,366,339, 2,303 locations, $1,462 average, $58,410,845, four weeks.
12. "I Am Number Four," Disney, $2,260,314, 2,005 locations, $1,127 average, $50,455,723, four weeks.
13. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," Paramount, $1,378,830, 1,247 locations, $1,106 average, $70,955,641, five weeks.
14. "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," Fox, $1,306,504, 931 locations, $1,403 average, $35,162,958, four weeks.
15. "Take Me Home Tonight," Relativity Media, $1,272,239, 2,003 locations, $635 average, $5,891,092, two weeks.
16. "Cedar Rapids," Fox Searchlight, $921,038, 394 locations, $2,338 average, $4,597,332, five weeks.
17. "Tangled," Disney, $640,753, 363 locations, $1,765 average, $196,675,983, 16 weeks.
18. "The Fighter," Paramount, $576,083, 463 locations, $1,244 average, $92,931,288, 14 weeks.
19. "Yogi Bear," Warner Bros., $476,341, 404 locations, $1,179 average, $98,677,804, 13 weeks.
20. "Black Swan," Fox Searchlight, $440,504, 337 locations, $1,307 average, $105,928,217, 15 weeks.

Credit : The Associated Press

'Black Swan' continues its twirl overseas

LOS ANGELES: Despite "Tangled's" continued lock on first place, "Black Swan" landed just a feather away from taking the top spot at foreign theaters over the weekend, missing No. 1 by a mere $131,664.

An obvious "Oscar Bump" is strongly in play as international audiences in 29 territories boosted the mainstream art house wonder over the $150 million mark in global revenue with $16.7 million in weekend receipts.

Third place got an unexpected visitor as the Franco-Belgian comedy "Nothing to Declare" in just four territories earned an impressive $13.95 million and is approaching $50 million worldwide. For a film that most people stateside have never heard of, that's not a bad haul.

In six more territories than last week another Oscar darling, "The King's Speech," held steady in fourth place with $13.2 million and a global cumulative that is just a shilling shy of $200 million. And other Oscar contenders continued to make their mark in the Top 20, with "True Grit" in ninth place and "The Fighter" in 19th place, having just crossed the $100 million mark in global dollars.

Here are the top 20 movies at international theaters last weekend, followed by international gross for the weekend (excluding North America), number of theater locations, number of territories, worldwide gross to date (including North America), and number of weeks in release as compiled Wednesday by global media measurement company Rentrak Corp. and provided by Hollywood.com:

"Tangled," $16,871,286, 4,400 locations, 44 territories, $490,473,734, 12 weeks.

2. "Black Swan," $16,739,622, 3,484 locations, 29 territories, $155,421,621, 11 weeks.

3. "Nothing to Declare," $13,956,964, 1,129 locations, four territories, $46,882,950, three weeks.

4. "The King's Speech," $13,211,028, 3,893 locations, 26 territories, $199,976,798, 12 weeks.

5. "Sanctum," $11,958,392, 3,856 locations, 13 territories, $45,453,535, two weeks.

6. "The Green Hornet," $10,787,977, 7,822 locations, 59 territories, $200,046,313, five weeks.

7. "Yogi Bear," $9,278,119, 4,246 locations, 31 territories, $155,338,796, nine weeks.

8. "Kokowääh," $8,524,143, 876 locations, three territories, $21,659,756, two weeks.

9. "True Grit," $8,469,692, 3,385 locations, 16 territories, $177,921,814, eight weeks.

10. "Gulliver's Travels," $7,644,591, 1,992 locations, 36 territories, $183,300,808, eight weeks.

11. "Tron Legacy," $6,289,869, 2,075 locations, 26 territories, $356,084,840, nine weeks.

12. "No Strings Attached," $5,525,670, 3,098 locations, 17 territories, $71,811,219, four weeks.

13. "Gnomeo and Juliet," $5,348,317, 3,633 locations, seven territories, $34,476,335, one week.

14. "Just Go With It," $5,229,806, 4,463 locations, 13 territories, $44,182,893, one week.

15. "Hereafter," $4,487,711, 1,500 locations, 27 territories, $88,829,879, six weeks.

16. "The Tourist," $4,234,232, 2,601 locations, 50 territories, $230,777,671, 10 weeks.

17. "Femmine Contro Maschi," $3,362,288, locations NA, one territory, $10,450,509, two weeks.

18. "Detective K: Secret of a Peddler's Inn," $3,354,139, locations NA, one territory, $24,321,180, three weeks.

19. "The Fighter," $3,321,450, 1,942 locations, 19 territories, $102,820,739, 10 weeks.

20. "Gantz," $3,092,464, locations NA, one territory, $25,870,868, three weeks. (AP)

'The Roommate' slips into box office top spot

LOS ANGELES: The low-budget and widely panned horror flick "The Roommate" opened at the top of the North American box office during a sluggish weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The psychological thriller starring Leighton Meester as a deranged college freshman obsessed with her roommate Minka Kelly grossed $15.6 million in its three days, despite receiving poor reviews.

Survey aggregator Rotten Tomatoes said only nine percent of critics gave the film a thumbs-up.

Box office earnings were dented this weekend by the hugely popular Super Bowl American football championship game, due to take place later Sunday.

"Sanctum," which also got trashed by critics -- came in a distant second. The 3-D underwater cave adventure produced by James Cameron of "Avatar" fame secured $9.2 million in ticket receipts.

Dropping into third was "No Strings Attached," a romantic romp starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The Ivan Reitman film about casual sex between friends took in $8.4 million.

British historical drama "The King's Speech" jumped up one notch to fourth after drawing 12 nominations from the Oscars race. It has earned $84.1 million so far in 11 weeks of showing.

Action movie "The Green Hornet" got fifth with $6.1 million, pulling ahead of Anthony Hopkins exorcism thriller "The Rite." The horror inspired by 1970s classic "The Exorcist" captured $5.6 million.

Dropping to seventh with $5.4 million was "The Mechanic," while the Western "True Grit" came in eighth with $4.8 million.

Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen's remake features Jeff Bridges in the John Wayne role as a drunken, hard-nosed US marshal. The film has earned $155 million in seven weeks.

Vince Vaughn's relationship comedy "The Dilemma," in its fourth week in theaters, slipped from seventh to ninth with $3.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "Black Swan," a gritty ballet-themed thriller starring Natalie Portman which earned $3.4 million, for a 10-week total of $95.9 million.

The film was nominated for five Oscars, including best picture and best performance by an actress for Portman.

China sets $1.5 bln box office record in 2010

BEIJING: China's film industry had a record year in 2010, grossing 10.17 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) at the box office, but domestic movies struggled against Hollywood blockbusters, according to state media.

National box office takings rose 63.9 percent on-year as more Chinese than ever went to the movies, Tong Gang, director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's State Film Bureau told the China Daily on Saturday.

"Ten billion yuan is just something to feel good about, but not to show off about," Tong was quoted as saying.

"So far, it has not been possible to compete with such films as 'Avatar' and 'Inception'. Far too few domestic films are well received by the public," he added.

Combined, Hollywood's sci-fi fantasy "Avatar" and thriller "Inception" represented about a fifth of China's total box office takings while the highest-grossing domestic film, disaster epic "Aftershock", earned only 673 million yuan.

"China still lacks good films," Tong said.

Beijing officials are increasingly stressing that China needs to expand its cultural industries, which account for less than two percent of the country's gross domestic product.

China made 526 feature films in 2010 -- up 15 percent from 2009 -- making it the third-largest film producer after Bollywood and Hollywood, the China Daily said.

But critics, including "Aftershock" director Feng Xiaogang, one of the country’s most successful commercial directors, say censors at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television often block the kind of originality needed to make great films.

"This is not an era that can produce masters," Feng told Sina.com in an interview last year.

China currently limits the number of foreign films screened in cinemas to 20 a year but in March it is due to address the World Trade Organization's call for it to open up its film market.

Tong declined to comment on what impact that ruling could have on the domestic film industry, the report said.

Tron leads weak pack of newcomers at box office

LOS ANGELES: "Tron: Legacy," a costly 3D sci-fi movie that Walt Disney Co has promoted for more than three years, opened disappointingly at the weekend box office in North America, while a new comedy starring Reese Witherspoon was one of the biggest flops of the year.

The "Tron" movie, a massively hyped sequel to an obscure 1982 movie, earned $43.6 million during its first three days of release, Disney said Sunday. Industry observers had been expecting a three-day start in the $50 million range, although Disney said the opening was within its own expectations.

The effects-laden update reportedly cost $170 million to make, and more than $100 million to market worldwide. Disney never divulges budgets.

Internationally, the film earned a modest $23 million from No. 1 openings in all 26 of its markets, including Japan, Australia, Britain and Brazil. These markets represent about half of the international sales pie.

Meanwhile "How Do You Know" opened at No. 8 with just $7.6 million in the United States and Canada, far short of modest expectations in the $12 million range. The Columbia Pictures project cost about $100 million to make, with half the budget spent on salaries for Witherspoon, co-stars Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd, and writer/director James L. Brooks. Extensive reshoots also drove up costs.

Executives at the Sony Corp unit were despondent about the opening, although the film had suffered bad buzz for some time with no help from a forgettable title.

A third newcomer did not do much better. "Yogi Bear," a live-action/animated update of the old television cartoon, came in at No. 2 with $16.7 million. Distributor Warner Bros. said it had hoped for an opening between $18 million and $20 million, but the Time Warner Inc unit expected the Christmas holiday would boost business. The $80 million film stars Dan Aykroyd as the voice of the title character and Justin Timberlake as his sidekick Boo Boo.

Critics trashed all three films, which vied for the attention of holiday-distracted moviegoers alongside national expansions of acclaimed awards-season contenders Paramount Pictures' "The Fighter" (No. 4, $12.2 million) and Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan" (No. 7, $8.3 million).

Last weekend's champion, 20th Century Fox's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," fell to No. 3 with $12.4 million in its second weekend.

"The Tourist," a widely mocked caper starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, dropped three places to No. 5 with $8.7 million, also in its second weekend. The Columbia release tied with Disney's former chart-topping cartoon "Tangled."

The final weekend before Christmas is traditionally slow, although films often enjoy long runs as school holidays start to take effect. But overall business has been weak for some time, with year-on-year sales down for six weekends in a row.

"A malaise has crept over the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, head box office analyst at Hollywood.com. "The lack of momentum is hurting everybody across the board."

But Disney was bullish about "Tron: Legacy," a project that has occupied the attention of two regimes at the studio in recent years. It has been offering tantalizing glimpses to movie fans at the annual Comic-Con convention since 2008, and raised the heat in recent months with cross-marketing efforts across its theme parks, consumer-products and cable TV wings.

Jeff Bridges returns to "Tron" as a videogame developer trapped in a virtual environment called the Grid. While the original film appealed only to male youngsters, Disney targeted the reboot at men and women of all ages.

But exit polling indicated the film skewed to men aged 18 to 30, with relatively little interest in mainstream multiplexes. Instead, the film's tech-savvy constituency thronged 3D and big-screen theaters. About one-quarter of sales -- $10.3 million -- came from Imax Corp's 234 screens. The film played in almost 3,500 theaters overall.

'Tron' sequel set to hit $40 million at box office

Hollywood is once again overstuffing the Christmas stocking with films of all shapes and sizes, hoping to benefit from the most lucrative and intense stretch of the year at the box office.

Among the four new wide releases, Disney's 3D tentpole "Tron: Legacy" is expected to top the weekend with three-day sales north of $40 million.

Also battling for moviegoers are Warner Bros.' 3D family picture "Yogi Bear," Paramount/Relativity Media's "The Fighter," and Sony's romantic comedy "How Do You Know."

"Tron: Legacy" is tracking well among men of all ages. Disney introduced the $170 million follow-up to the 1982 cult classic to fanboys two years ago. Jeff Bridges returns in the role of Kevin Flynn, while Garrett Hedlund plays his son.

Yogi Bear brings an even more recognizable character to the big screen, at least among older moviegoers who grew up on the popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Warners will be happy if the film breaks $20 million this weekend.

Tracking for "How Do You Know" is on the softer side, indicating an opening of $12 million and possibly lower. The $100 million film stars Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson.

The two wild cards are "The Fighter," which opened in limited release last weekend, and Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan," which makes a major play in expanding from 90 theaters to 959. On Wednesday, "Swan" ups its screen count to 1,426.

Both films are early awards favorites, as is the Weinstein Co.'s "The King's Speech," which expands to 43 locations from 19 Friday. All three picked up significant Golden Globe, Critics' Choice and SAG nominations this week.

'Megamind' tops box offices for second week

Animated comedy 'Megamind' topped film charts for the second week on Sunday, claiming No. 1 at North American box offices with $30 million and beating new releases, including action flick "Unstoppable."

The family-oriented comedy pushed its two-week total to $89.8 million and showed staying power in theaters with a decline of 35 percent from last week's debut of nearly $48 million for its producers at DreamWorks Animation.

The relatively small drop, compared to other major releases that often see ticket sales fall 50 percent or more, has DreamWorks Animation hoping "Megamind" can hold its own against the widely anticipated "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" when it debuts in theaters next weekend.

"We're seeing lots of momentum with kids and especially young boys," DreamWorks Animation global marketing chief Anne Globe said, adding that the company expects "Megamind" to continue performing well in theaters equipped with 3D.

The new "Harry Potter" will not be show in 3D.

In second place over the weekend was runaway train movie "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It pulled in $23.5 million and was the top-grossing new release, pleasing its distributor 20th Century Fox.

The fast-paced thriller generally earned good reviews from both critics and positive response from fans, Fox said, which is rare in theaters these days.

"Unstoppable" debuted in about 3,200 theaters, for an average of $7,300 per location. "Megamind" pulled in $7,600 per venue in approximately 3,900 locations.

In its second week in theaters, Warner Bros. comedy "Due Date," starring Robert Downey Jr., dropped one position to the No. 3 slot on box office charts with $15.5 million, or $4,600 per theater in more than 3300 locations.

Sci-fi thriller "Skyline" was No. 4 with $11.7 million, while romantic comedy "Morning Glory" rounded out the top 5 with $9.6 million, a disappointing opening with major stars like Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton working alongside Rachel McAdams.

Director Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" fell to the No. 6 spot with a 65 percent drop in ticket sales to a total $6.8 million. That figure pushed its cumulative box office to just under $31 million in two weeks.

Rounding out the top 10 in descending order were four holdovers from recent weeks, "Red," "Paranormal Activity 2" "Saw 3D" and "Jackass 3D."

"Megamind," "Morning Glory," "Paranormal Activity 2" and "Jackass 3D" were all distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.. "Megamind" was produced by DreamWorks Animation.

"Skyline" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric's NBC Universal media division, and "Unstoppable" by 20th Century Fox is a division of News Corp. "For Colored Girls" and "Saw 3D" were released by Lions Gate, and "Red" by privately held Summit Entertainment.

Box office update: No let up in ‘Endhiran’ craze!

As fans continue to line up to watch Rajinikanth’s latest film Endhiran, the movie is smashing all box office records and writing history.

Making a film with a 60-year-old star and a whopping budget of Rs 160 crore did seem like a big gamble. But director Shankar has silenced all detractors, as the movie Endhiran shows no sign of slowing down at the box office down south.

According to a trade analyst, the Tamil movie (and its Hindi version Robot) has raked in a collection between Rs. 200 to 225 crores in just two weeks since its release on October 1. No other film in the history of Indian cinema has made so much money in just two weeks.

Going by the figures, Endhiran has collected Rs. 150 crores from Tamil Nadu only. Its collection from other south centres is close to Rs. 50 crore. And the earning of Robot (Hindi) stands close to Rs. 15 crore.

That’s not the end of it, as the film is likely to continue its good run in the weeks ahead.

'The Robot' may break box office records

Industry experts have predicted that the Bollywood science-fiction film Enhiran will break box office records due to the huge amount of hype and promotion surrounding its release.

BBC confirms that the film is the most expensive production ever made in India with a budget of 1.6bn rupees, the equivalent to £23 million.

The thriller, directed by S. Shankar, stars Rajinikanth as the scientist Vaseegaran who successfully creates a human robot hybrid and co-star Aishwarya Rai as his girlfriend.

The film's special effects have received universal praise, and it has been well-received by critics.

Enhiran, also known as The Robot, was released worldwide on Friday.

Affleck's heist film tops US box office

The Town, Ben Affleck's fast-paced bank heist flick set in his hometown of Boston debuted as the top movie at North American theaters this weekend, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

Supplanting Resident Evil: Afterlife in the top spot, The Town, the second film to be directed by the actor, earned 23.8 million dollars in ticket sales, according to projections from box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Second place went to another new film, teen comedy Easy A about a high school girl who lies about losing her virginity to improve her social standing, which earned 18.2 million dollars.

M. Night Shyamalan's Devil supernatural thriller about Satan trapping victims in a Philadelphia high-rise came in third, raking 12.6 million dollars in tickets sales.

Resident Evil, the latest in a long-running science fiction series, fell from the top spot last week to fourth with 10.1 million dollars.

Alpha and Omega, about a wolfpack in the wilds of a Canadian nature reserve, opened in fifth place with 9.2 million dollars in tickets sold.

In sixth place was Takers, the bank-robbery thriller starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I. which earned three million dollars.

George Clooney's spy flick The American was seventh with earnings of 2.76 million dollars.

Rounding out the top ten were Inception in eighth place with a shade over two million dollars in ticket sales; crime comedy The Other Guys with two million dollars, and romance flick Eat, Pray, Love which claimed 1.7 million dollars to finish in 10th place.

Resident Evil snatches box office lead

Sony's Resident Evil: Afterlife snatched the top of the North American box office this weekend with 26.7 million dollars in ticket sales, final figures showed recently.

The fourth in a long-running science fiction series, the film stars Milla Jovovich as a new age warrior fighting to protect humans from a world led by zombies.

Resident Evil films are based on a video game of the same name from Japan's Capcom. The latest film was directed by Paul Anderson, who also directed the original 2002 feature.

Jumping one spot into second place was Takers. The bank-robbery thriller starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I. earned 5.7 million dollars in its third week of release, bringing its overall take to 47.7 million dollars, said industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

George Clooney's spy flick The American fell from its top spot to land in third place with earnings of 5.7 million dollars. Mixing violence with a campy tribute to 1970s exploitation movies from directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, Machete came in fourth with 4.3 million dollars from Friday to Sunday, or 20.9 million since its release.

Holding steady at number five was new release Going the Distance, a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long about a couple living on opposite US coasts who try to make their relationship work. It earned 3.8 million dollars in its second weekend.

The Other Guys, the latest Will Ferrell slapstick comedy, climbed up one spot to sixth place, taking in 3.3 million dollars for its story about two mismatched police officers paired on a high-profile crime investigation.

Seventh place went to the gruesome documentary-style horror movie The Last Exorcism, which fell from its fourth spot last weekend, taking 3.3 million dollars, or 38 million since its release.

The mockumentary, directed by Daniel Stamm and co-produced by Eli Roth, a director known for his bloody thrillers, follows a disillusioned minister supposedly filming his last exorcism for a documentary.

Falling to eighth place was The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone's film about a group of weathered mercenaries out to topple a South American dictator, which earned 3.2 million dollars in its fifth week in theaters.

Eat, Pray, Love, Ryan Murphy's adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's novel about a divorcee's jaunt to Italy, Indonesia and India, starring Julia Roberts, took ninth position with 2.9 million dollars.

Rounding out the top 10 was blockbuster Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an expert infiltrator of people's dreams, which took in 2.8 million, or 282 million since its release.

'Avatar' beats 'Titanic' as worldwide box office leader

James Cameron really is King of the World; the 55-year old director is now the proud papa of the top two highest-grossing movies ever. Twentieth Century Fox announced today that Avatar has crossed Titanic’s worldwide box office gross of $1.843 billion on Monday and now holds the global box office record of $1.859 billion. Most of the credit for the film’s success has to be given to its phenomenal performance in 3-D, which accounts for 80% of the film’s domestic box-office gross. Avatar still needs another $45 million to cross Titanic’s domestic gross of $600 million, a feat that will be achieved in the next two weeks. It’s rather amazing that Titanic held its record for so long considering ticket prices have obviously risen since the film debuted in 1997 and grosses are not adjusted for inflation. Don’t expect Avatar to drop off anytime soon. With the film falling only 20% every weekend, its likely to remain in theaters for many weeks to come.

Avatar has become one of the world's biggest films of all time

James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar has secured third place on the list of the all-time biggest films at the worldwide box office.

The movie, starring Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington, has taken more than one billion dollars globally since it was unveiled - it is one of just five films to ever steam past the billion dollar mark.

With 1.1 billion so far, it is now third only to 2003's The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King and director Cameron's other massive hit, Titanic, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Avatar is still being shown in cinemas so has more time to nudge Titanic and Lord of the Rings off the top of the list.

The Rings movie raked in 1.12 billion dollars when it was released and 1997's Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, made 1.84 million.

The other two films that have made more than a billion US dollars at the worldwide box office are Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which took 1.07 billion, and Batman movie The Dark Knight, which took just over a billion.

'Avatar' passes $300 million mark on Friday, and Sandra Bullock makes box-office history

It took director James Cameron’s Titanic 44 days to reach the $300 million mark. Twelve years later, Cameron’s Avatar has reached that same milestone nearly three times faster, in just its 15th day of release. The 3-D epic grossed an estimated $25 million on New Years Day, pushing the film’s domestic total to $308.8 million. If that pace holds, expect the film to shatter Spider-Man’s $45 million record for the biggest ever third weekend in theaters.

With no major releases this weekend, the rest of the box office is shaping up pretty much like last weekend. Sherlock Holmes landed in the second spot, with an estimated $14.9 million; Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel took third with $13 million; and It’s Complicated made $7.1 million for fourth.

Finally, Sandra Bullock rang in the new year by also making box-office history. With The Blind Side grossing $4.5 million on Friday for fifth place, Bullock is now the only actress ever to have a film marketed with her name solely above the title (i.e. based on her star power alone, and not a franchise or tent-poll picture) pass the $200 million mark in domestic gross.

BOX OFFICE REPORT

It may be only the first week of November, but Disney’s A Christmas Carol got the holiday season started by spiriting $31 million at the box office, according to early estimates by Hollywood.com Box Office. The $175 million animated movie, which utilized performance-capture technology to allow Jim Carrey to play multiple roles from Charles Dickens’ beloved story, represented the best opening in director Robert Zemeckis’ career. And even though Carol performed a bit below expectations, the family film should hold up well in the coming weeks, especially since it’ll be playing on nearly 200 pricey IMAX screens until Avatar opens on Dec. 18.

The concert documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It dropped only 40 percent in its second weekend, sliding into second place with $14 million. Not far behind was the new George Clooney comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats. Unlike the Chicago Cubs, the movie managed to escape the Curse of the Billy Goat for a weekend total of $13.3 million. The Milla Jovovich alien-abduction film The Fourth Kind debuted in, appropriately enough, fourth place with $12.5 million, while the box-office phenomenon of the season, Paranormal Activity, recorded $8.6 million—good enough for fifth place. Activity, which reportedly cost only $11,000 to produce, has now grossed $97.4 million domestically. Such success is not in store for the Cameron Diaz horror flick The Box, which debuted in sixth place with $7.9 million and managed to garner a rare “F” grade from CinemaScore moviegoers.

The most newsworthy box-office story of the weekend was the record-breaking opening for Precious, the Oprah-endorsed and Sundance-winning drama starring Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. On only 18 screens, Precious grossed $1.8 million for a per-screen average of $100,000—the largest per-screen average ever for a movie opening in more than 10 theaters. With many Oscar prognosticators—including EW’s Dave Karger—calling the film one of the front-runners of the awards season, Precious has an undoubtedly bright future in store as it gradually expands into additional markets throughout November.

This Is It Destined To Win The Weekend

Michael Jackson is really the only one who can take on Halloween weekend and win.
The annual holiday is known for being a box office killer, especially when it falls on a Saturday night, so it’s no wonder Sony Pictures slotted This is It for a Wednesday bow. No other major release was scheduled for the weekend, so uber-fans will come out early and perhaps often considering Jackson’s favorite holiday, big shocker, was All Hallow’s Eve. The studio has been working overtime to tamp down expectations for the concert film they spent $60 million for the right to release. Wednesday’s gross of $20 million worldwide ($7.4 domestically, $12.7 internationally) proves that this film will be a worldwide phenomenon with its international receipts far out-grossing what it makes in the U.S. If Jackson isn’t your bag, this weekend there will be more horror on display with Paranormal Activity continuing its impressive run while Saw VI tries to eek out a profit after getting slayed last weekend in theaters. Read on for predictions.


1. This is It: $21 million
Even non-Michael Jackson fans are coming back from this film exuberant over what director Kenny Ortega has done with the 120 hours of rehearsal footage of Jackson’s final days. So now it’s up to the fans to show up in theaters and make this film a success. There’s no doubt that Sony will recoup its investment on This is It but what the movie becomes is a complete wild card. I think the film will get close to $35 million for its first five days domestically. But again there’s Halloween and two World Series games competing for attention.

2. Paranormal Activity: $13 million
This low-budget wonder has already grossed $65 million, becoming the most profitable movie of all time. What Paranormal Activity does from now on really doesn’t matter. A sequel is underway, stars Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston have already received the huge jump start on their career, and director Oren Peli is already making his second movie. Paranormal has out-Blair-Witched Blair Witch. Reaching $100 million shouldn’t be bad for this $11,000 film.

3. Law Abiding Citizen: $7 million
Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx have already pulled in $42 million for this film. Another 40% drop is likely this weekend, giving this inexpensive actioner a solid $50 million gross.

4. Where the Wild Things Are: $6 million
Spike Jonze’s meditation on childhood has made $55 million, not enough for this expensive film. Parents seem to be leaving their children at home, which isn’t a bad thing but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t see it themselves. It’s worth the two hours of their time.

5. Couples Retreat: $6 million
It doesn’t matter that critics hate this film. The Vince Vaughn-starrer has already grossed $79 million and comes as a well-needed hit for the struggling Universal Pictures. Last weekend it fell only 38%, proving that audiences want a good comedy right now. This weekend expect another 40% drop off, which would put the movie in striking distance of $100 million

'Inglourious Basterds' gives Quentin Tarantino a box office win on Friday

The folks over at Weinstein Co. must be breathing a big sigh of relief. Friday’s box office numbers suggest their gamble on in-house auteur Quentin Tarantino has paid off: His WWII drama Inglourious Basterds took in an estimated $14.3 million, putting it on track to win the weekend with what could be an impressive $36 million.

Robert Rodriguez’s new kid flick didn’t fare nearly as well. Shorts from Warner Bros. only earned an estimated $2 million for the day, giving it a sixth slot in the derby for Friday and a probable weekend gross that won’t reach double digits. Meanwhile last weekend’s big winner District 9 suffered severely at the hands of Inglourious Basterds and its star Brad Pitt, with its Friday number at $5.5 million, down 61% from its opening day a week ago. G.I. Joe also got knocked, though not as badly. The PG-13 actioner fell 48% from last Friday, to $3.6 million. Rounding out the top five were two of the more female-oriented movies, with The Time Traveler’s Wife taking in $3.3 million on Friday while Julie & Julia added another $2.6 million. Post Grad, the Alexis Bledel post-college comedy didn’t get high marks its first weekend in theaters. Earning just $1 million its opening day, its weekend outcome looks bleak. See Friday’s Top Five below, and check back here tomorrow for the full weekend’s Box Office Report.