And the Box Office Champion this week is...

Via Deadline Hollywood / Nikki Finke

SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM, 5TH UPDATE: Studios tell me this Easter Weekend began and ended with rain and storms in 2/3s of the U.S. and the first huge "up" weekend of $125M, which is +34% from last year. Twentieth Century Fox's Rio 3D may be about a bird, but Friday and Saturday numbers showed "it's holding like a rock," a studio exec emailed me.

Lionsgate's latest in Tyler Perry's franchise, Madea's Big Happy Family, had the best per screen average of all the top-grossing pictures. This is, after all, Perry's sixth cross-dressing film; still, the last one opened to a $41M weekend and the one before to $30M and this will be even lower by end of day Sunday. scoring an "A-" CinemaScore was Fox 2000's Water For Elephants based on Sara Gruen's best-selling book and written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Francis Lawrence.

Clearly, the classy ad campaign was intriguing for adults who don't rush out to see films, and for Robert Pattinson's Twi-hards who do. But this beautifully filmed but searing drama was considered a hard sell. It was also a fine weekend for Universal's holdover Hop from Illumination Entertainment after passing $100M. And Disneynature's African Cats narrated by Samuel Jackson played well for a niche nature movie that truly deserves to be seen, as evidenced by its "A-" CinemaScore. Full analysis coming. Here is the Top 10:

1. Rio 3D (Blue Sky Studio/Fox) Week 2 [3,842 Theaters]
Friday $10.6M, Saturday $10M, Easter Weekend $26.6M (-32%), Cume $81.1M

2. Madea's Big Happy Family (Tyler Perry/Lionsgate) NEW [2,288 Theaters]
Friday $10.5M, Saturday $9.1M, Easter Weekend $25.7M

3. Water For Elephants (Fox 2000/Fox) NEW [2,817 Theaters]
Friday $7M, Saturday $6.5M, Easter Weekend $17.5M

4. Hop (Illumination Entertainment/Universal) Week 4 [3,616 Theaters]
Friday $4.8M, Saturday $4.5M, Easter Weekend $12.4M, Cume $100.4M

5. Scream 4 (Miramax/Dimension/Weinstein Co) Week 2 [3,314 Theaters]
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $2.7M, Easter Weekend $7.1M (-62%), Cume $31.1M

6. African Cats (Disneynature/Walt Disney Studios) NEW [1,220 Theaters]
Friday $3.3M, Saturday $1.6M, Easter Weekend $6.4M

7. Soul Surfer (FilmDistrict/Sony) Week 3 [2,240 Theaters]]
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $1.9M, Easter Weekend $5.6M, Cume $28.6M

8. Insidious (FilmDistrict) Week 4 [2,130 Theaters]
Friday $2.1M, Saturday $1.9M, Easter Weekend $5.3M, Cume $44.1M

9. Hanna (Focus Features) Week 3 [2,383 theaters]
Friday $1.8M, Saturday $2M, Easter Weekend $5.2M, Cume $31.7M

10. Source Code (Summit) Week 4 [2,363 Theaters]
Friday $1.8M, Saturday $1.9M, Easter Weekend $5M, Estimated Cume $44.6M

Las mas taquilleras para el fin de semana de Abril 1-3, 2011

En Estados Unidos:

1- Hop
2- Source Code
3- Insidious
4- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
5- Limitless

En Puerto Rico

1- Hop
2- Source Code
3- Red Riding Hood
4- Limitless
5- Battle: Los Angeles

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Liam Neeson has proven himself a known quantity again at the box office.

Neeson's thriller, "Unknown," debuted as the No. 1 movie with $21.8 million, following in the footsteps of his 2009 action hit "Taken," according to studio estimates Sunday.

Another action tale, "I Am Number Four," opened at No. 2 with $19.5 million.

A Warner Bros. release, "Unknown" stars Neeson as a botanist who awakens from a coma to find his wife claims she does not know him and that another man has taken his identity.

DreamWorks' "I Am Number Four" stars Alex Pettyfer as a teenage alien refugee on Earth who develops superpowers to battle the evil invaders that destroyed his planet. It was the first DreamWorks movie released under the company's distribution deal with Disney.

While "I Am Number Four" held youth appeal, "Unknown" was a rare No. 1 film that did most of its business among older crowds. According to Warner, 54 percent of the movie's audience was 50 and over and 89 percent was 25 and over.

The 58-year-old Neeson has had action roles before but found unexpected success as an all-out action hero with "Taken," a $100 million hit.

"He's the new man. He's stepped up to the plate. Put him in the right role and he's every man's action star," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner.

Two movies that opened the previous weekend held the next two spots in the top 10.

Disney's animated comedy, "Gnomeo & Juliet," was No. 3 with $19.4 million, finishing so closely to "I Am Number Four" that the two movies could change rankings when studios release final numbers Tuesday, after the long President's Day weekend. "Gnomeo & Juliet" raised its total to $50.4 million.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's romance "Just Go With It," which had been No. 1 the previous weekend, fell to fourth place with $18.2 million. The Sony release lifted its total to $60.8 million.

The weekend's other new wide release, Martin Lawrence's comedy, "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," was No. 5 with $17 million. The 20th Century Fox sequel has Lawrence reprising his role as a federal agent who goes undercover as a hefty woman to crack a case.

Hollywood finally broke a long downturn in business during which revenues were off 14 straight weekends compared to last year's.

This weekend, receipts totaled $144 million, up 7.7 percent compared to the same period last year, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

But compared to President's Day weekend in 2010, which fell a week earlier, revenues this time were down 30 percent.

"This was certainly not a record President's Day weekend by any stretch, but it was a good weekend," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "It was solid but not spectacular, but at least it broke the down streak."

Two top contenders at next Sunday's Academy Awards hit the $100 million mark.

The Weinstein Co. drama "The King's Speech," the best-picture front-runner, pulled in $6.6 million to lift its total to $103.3 million. Fox Searchlight's psychosexual thriller, "Black Swan," took in $1.3 million and raised its haul to $101.5 million.

Colin Firth of "The King's Speech" and Natalie Portman of "Black Swan" are considered the favorites for the lead-acting Oscar awards.

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

1. "Unknown," $21.8 million.

2. "I Am Number Four," $19.5 million.

3. "Gnomeo & Juliet," $19.4 million.

4. "Just Go With It," $18.2 million.

5. "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," $17 million.

6. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," $13.6 million.

7. "The King's Speech," $6.6 million.

8. "The Roommate," $4.1 million.

9. "The Eagle," $3.6 million.

10. "No Strings Attached," $3.1 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

NEW YORK – The Anthony Hopkins horror film "The Rite" topped the box office on a weekend notable for the bump many Oscar-nominated films received, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Warner Bros. flick earned $15 million from just under 3,000 theaters. The PG-13, "Exorcist"-influenced movie drew most of its audience from the older-than-25 demographic.

In its 10th week of release, the Weinstein Company's "The King's Speech" earned $11.1 million while adding nearly 900 screens.

Now with a cumulative box-office haul of $72.2 million, the story of King George VI's triumph over his stuttering affliction continues to build momentum as the Oscar favorite for best picture. It led with 12 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, and its director, Tom Hooper, won best director from the Directors Guild on Saturday.

Last week's top film, the Natalie Portman romantic comedy "No Strings Attached," from Paramount, slipped to second with $13.7 million.

The other debut this weekend, CBS Films' action film "The Mechanic," which stars Jason Statham and Ben Foster, took in $11.5 million, tied for third with Sony's updated superhero film "The Green Hornet."

Heavily marketed, "The Rite" sought a PG-13 rating less to attract younger audience members than "not to offend" older fans of the 73-year-old Hopkins, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

Fellman credited the film's success to Hopkins, who remains a draw for moviegoers, especially in scary films that recall his famous performance as Hannibal Lecter in 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs."

"The King's Speech" saw the biggest increase after Oscar nominations were announced Tuesday, jumping 41 percent from its performance last weekend.

The Coen brothers' Western "True Grit" was up four percent in its sixth week, bringing its total to $138 million. "The Fighter," in its eighth week, and Portman's "Black Swan," in its ninth week, had only slight drop-offs from the prior weekend.

Still, it was hard to ignore the rising tide of "The King's Speech," which has usurped David Fincher's "The Social Network" as prognosticators' pick to win best picture at the Academy Awards on Feb. 27. Its star, Colin Firth, is believed to be a shoo-in for best actor.

"If I was in Vegas, I'd slip a few bucks on it," said Fellman of "The King's Speech." (Warner Bros.'s dog in the fight is Christopher Nolan's "Inception," whose chances for best picture are considered slim.)

The Screen Actors Guild, whose members make up a large block of academy voters, was to hand out their awards Sunday night.

"The Oscar bump is in full effect," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

But the box-office opportunity for Academy Awards favorites is available partially because of the lack of blockbuster dominance in the marketplace. The weekend was Hollywood's 12th down-weekend in a row, meaning total box office was below that of the corresponding weekend a year earlier.

Last year's high January totals were largely due to the enormous success of James Cameron's 3-D epic "Avatar," which went on to become the highest grossing film ever.

"`Avatar' is casting a long shadow, making our comparisons week after week very tough," said Dergarabedian. "It's an anomaly. ... The marketplace is kind of doing what it's supposed to be doing."

Dergarabedian says the streak of down-weekends is likely to continue, possibly passing the 2005 record of 18 consecutive down-weekends.

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

1. "The Rite," $15 million.

2. "No Strings Attached," $13.7 million.

3. "The Green Hornet," $11.5 million.

(tie) "The Mechanic, $11.5 million.

5. "The King's Speech," $11.1 million.

6. "True Grit," $7.6 million.

7. "The Dilemma," $5.5 million.

8. "Black Swan," $5.1 million.

9. "The Fighter," $4.1 million.

10. "Yogi Bear," $3.2 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Audiences weren't afraid of committing to "No Strings Attached," making it the No. 1 movie at the box office in its opening weekend.

The romantic comedy from Paramount Pictures earned an estimated $20.3 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman star as friends who try to maintain a purely sexual relationship with each other, even as they find they're falling in love. The strong supporting cast includes Greta Gerwig, Mindy Kaling, Lake Bell and Kevin Kline.

Last week's No. 1 movie, Columbia Pictures' action comedy "The Green Hornet," dropped to second place with $18.1 million. It has now made $63.4 million total. Seth Rogen stars as the title playboy-turned-superhero, based on the 1930s radio show, with Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou as his sidekick, Kato.

Much of the success of "No Strings Attached" could be attributed to the pairing of director Ivan Reitman and Montecito Pictures, which brought the movie in at a budget of just $25 million, said Don Harris, Paramount's executive vice president of distribution.

He thought audiences were drawn to the chemistry between the co-stars: "Natalie Portman couldn't be any hotter, and I think this is the kind of movie Ashton Kutcher had hoped to make and be in during his career. They go well together."

Portman just won a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of a ballerina gone mad in "Black Swan," the weekend's sixth-highest grossing film, and for which she's likely to receive an Academy Award nomination Tuesday. She recently announced she's expecting a baby with her fiance, Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed "Black Swan" and has a cameo in it.

Part of the allure of "No Strings Attached" also comes from the humor, which Harris said was a little edgier than expected in a romantic comedy.

"This was always intended to be an R," he said. "That's why I think these two were interested in being in the movie."

"No Strings Attached" was marketed as the perfect date movie, with its slogan: "Can sex friends stay best friends?", said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

"It's a so-called 'chick flick' because of the subject matter, but it had appeal for both men and women with the whole idea of being 'friends with benefits,'" Dergarabedian said. "For it to do $20 million is fairly impressive, considering it's rated R and January's not a hotbed of huge grosses, unless you're 'Avatar' and you're holding over."

It was the 11th weekend in a row that was down from the same time the previous year, when James Cameron's behemoth "Avatar" was still dominating from its debut at the end of 2009.

While Dergarabedian expected 2011 could be a record year at the box office, with total grosses surpassing $11 billion for the first time ever, "the huge year hasn't kicked in yet."

"I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel until March, when 'The Adjustment Bureau' and other movies open," he said, referring to the upcoming thriller starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. "We could be looking at a pretty sizable down streak."

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

1. "No Strings Attached," $20.3 million.

2. "The Green Hornet," $18.1 million.

3. "The Dilemma," $9.7 million.

4. "The King's Speech," $9.2 million.

5. "True Grit," $8 million.

6. "Black Swan," $6.2 million.

7. "The Fighter," $4.5 million.

8. "Little Fockers," $4.4 million.

9. "Yogi Bear," $4.1 million.

10. "Tron: Legacy," $3.7 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – "The Green Hornet" is buzzing away with the top spot at the weekend box office.

The tongue-in-cheek superhero film starring Seth Rogen as a playboy-turned-crimefighter earned $34 million during its opening weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Sony Screen Gems' "Green Hornet," which was directed by indie auteur Michel Gondry, shot down Paramount's "True Grit," the Western that reigned supreme the previous weekend.

"As we moved down the road, it got a lot of love, the love that it deserved," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "I think everything worked really well for the film: the timing, the release date, the marketing, and, most importantly, the film itself. It all gelled in a terrific way. We're very pleased with the results."

The weekend's other major new release, Universal's "The Dilemma," opened in the No. 2 spot. The comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as partners at an automobile design firm earned $17.4 million. Despite driving away with the top two spots at the box office, Hollywood's first major new releases of the year didn't help to rev up ticket sales.

Hollywood's overall revenues this weekend continued the slump that's persisted through the fall and holiday season. Ticket sales this weekend totaled $115.2 million, down 25 percent compared to the same period last year, when the sci-fi epic "Avatar" continued to dominate at the box office with $42.7 million. Attendance was also down by 27 percent.

Potential Oscar contenders "True Grit," "The King's Speech" and "Black Swan" respectively followed behind "Green Hornet" and "The Dilemma." Both the royal saga "King's Speech" and ballet thriller "Black Swan" are up for several awards, including best drama motion picture and best supporting actress, at Sunday's 68th annual Golden Globes ceremony.

"I think the lack of an 'Avatar' this season has given an opportunity to films like 'True Grit,' 'King's Speech' and 'Black Swan' to draw audiences to the theater who are looking for something that's getting great reviews and who are maybe wanting to watch the Oscars or the Golden Globes with an informed mind," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

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

1. "The Green Hornet," $34 million.

2. "The Dilemma," $17.4 million.

3. "True Grit," $11.2 million.

4. "The King's Speech," $9 million.

5. "Black Swan," $8.1 million.

6. "Little Fockers," $7.1 million.

7. "Tron: Legacy," $5.6 million.

8. "Yogi Bear," $5.3 million.

9. "The Fighter," $5.1 million.

10. "Season of the Witch," $4.5 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – "True Grit" seized the reins at the weekend box office with $15 million, taking the No. 1 spot and becoming the first Western to top the $100 million mark since the 1990s, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

The Paramount release starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon bumped off Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller's comedy "Little Fockers," which was No. 1 for the previous two weekends. Released by Universal, "Little Fockers" slipped to second with $13.8 million, raising its total to $124 million.

"True Grit," which was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, lifted its total to $110.4 million.

Among newcomers, Nicolas Cage's supernatural thriller "Season of the Witch" opened at No. 3 with $10.7 million. Distributed by Relativity Media, the movie stars Cage as a knight in the Middle Ages escorting a suspected witch to her trial.

Gwyneth Paltrow's country-music drama "Country Strong" premiered at No. 6 with $7.3 million. The Sony Screen Gems release casts Paltrow as a boozy singer trying to get her act straight after rehab.

"True Grit" is a new take on Charles Portis' novel, previously adapted in a 1969 version that earned John Wayne an Academy Award. Bridges stars as lawman Rooster Cogburn, hired by a 14-year-old girl to track down her father's killer.

In Wayne's day, Westerns were a fixture in Hollywood, but the genre fell out of favor over the last 40 years. There was a small surge of $100 million Western hits in the 1990s, including Oscar best-picture winners "Dances With Wolves" and "Unforgiven."

The past decade brought the cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain" and the modestly successful Westerns "Open Range" and "3:10 to Yuma," but none approached the earnings of "True Grit," which also is the first $100 million hit for the Coen brothers.

While "True Grit" rides high, Hollywood's overall revenues continued a slide that persisted through the fall and holiday season. Ticket sales this weekend totaled $112 million, down 30 percent compared to the same period last year, when the sci-fi sensation "Avatar" led with $50.3 million.

The post-holiday period typically is a quiet time at movie theaters, but "Avatar" did blockbuster business last January, backed by such hits as "Sherlock Holmes" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."

"This time a year ago, that little film called `Avatar' was just pumping up the box office in a huge way and a totally unexpected way for January," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Even the No. 4 movie from the same weekend last year, the vampire tale "Daybreakers," did $15.1 million, more than this weekend's No. 1 film.

Hollywood may get a box-office jolt this coming weekend with Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz's action tale "The Green Hornet" and Vince Vaughn and Kevin James' comedy "The Dilemma."

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

1. "True Grit," $15 million.

2. "Little Fockers," $13.8 million.

3. "Season of the Witch," $10.7 million.

4. "Tron: Legacy," $9.8 million.

5. "Black Swan," $8.4 million.

6. "Country Strong," $7.3 million.

7. "The Fighter," $7 million.

8. "The King's Speech," $6.811 million.

9. "Yogi Bear," $6.81 million.

10. "Tangled," $5.2 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller's "Little Fockers" remained the top draw at the weekend box office with $26.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was closely followed by Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon's Western "True Grit," which was No. 2 for the second-straight weekend with $24.5 million.

"Little Fockers," released by Universal, raised its domestic haul to $103.2 million. Paramount's "True Grit" lifted its total to $86.8 million, becoming the top-grossing film ever from directors Joel and Ethan Coen, whose previous best was $74.3 million for "No Country for Old Men."

With no new wide releases out over New Year's weekend, the Hollywood top-10 lined up largely the same as it did over the Christmas holiday.

Bridges also had the No. 3 film with Disney's sci-fi sequel "Tron: Legacy" at $18.3 million, while Dan Aykroyd's family flick "Yogi Bear," from Warner Bros., was fourth with $13 million.

After a sluggish fall and holiday season, Hollywood is off to a slow start in 2011. Overall revenues came in at $158 million, down 28 percent from New Year's weekend a year ago, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

The holiday season in 2009 was unusually strong, largely because of James Cameron's "Avatar," which was on its way to becoming the biggest modern blockbuster with $2.8 billion worldwide.

A year ago, "Sherlock Holmes" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" also held up well over New Year's weekend.

"What made the difference last year was just that incredible combination of films," said Paul Dergarabedian, Hollywood.com box-office analyst. "That said, I think 2011 is going to be a huge year. If you look at the titles, I think we're going to get our box-office strength back."

The final "Harry Potter" film is among Hollywood's offerings this year, along with the latest in the "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Transformers," "Twilight," "Cars," "Kung Fu Panda," "X-Men" and "The Hangover" franchises.

"Little Fockers" has done good business despite bad reviews for the third installment in De Niro and Stiller's "Meet the Parents" franchise.

"I'm sorry the business isn't better for the industry overall, but having said that, it doesn't make a difference for us. We were the No. 1 film for the holidays," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "Considering it's the third time around, not so bad."

"True Grit" is a rare hit Western — once a Hollywood staple but a genre that has all but vanished. Industry insiders had been skeptical about the film's prospects, especially since the 1969 version of "True Grit" was one of John Wayne's best-known roles from late in his career, earning him the best-actor Academy Award.

But the Coens never considered their version a remake. They did a faithful adaptation of Charles Portis' novel, the source for both movies, and the Coens' version has earned terrific reviews.

"They acted like there'd never been another movie made, that this was the first. You've got to give them credit. It's a stunning achievement," said Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution at Paramount.

While this season's top hits failed to measure up to "Avatar" and other 2009 holiday blockbusters, smaller Oscar contenders continued to score in the top-10.

Paramount's boxing drama "The Fighter," with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, was No. 7 with $10 million, raising its total to $46.4 million; Fox Searchlight's psychosexual thriller "Black Swan," starring Natalie Portman, came in at No. 9 with $8.5 million, raising its haul to $47.4 million; and the Weinstein Co. historical drama "The King's Speech," with Colin Firth, was No. 10 with $7.7 million, pushing its sum to $22.8 million.

Other awards contenders debuted well in limited release. The Weinstein Co. marital drama "Blue Valentine," starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, took in $180,066 in four theaters.

Sony Pictures Classics' British drama "Another Year," from director Mike Leigh and featuring Jim Broadbent, took in $120,390 in six 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. "Little Fockers," $26.3 million.

2. "True Grit," $24.5 million.

3. "Tron: Legacy," $18.3 million.

4. "Yogi Bear," $13 million.

5. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," $10.5 million.

6. "Tangled," $10.01 million.

7. "The Fighter," $10 million.

8. "Gulliver's Travels," $9.1 million.

9. "Black Swan," $8.5 million.

10. "The King's Speech," $7.6 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Jeff Bridges' sci-fi sequel "Tron: Legacy" has leaped to the top of the box-office grid with a $43.6 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Disney release reboots the story line started in Bridges' 1982 tale "Tron," in which his character is hurtled into a deadly virtual reality known as the Grid. The movie co-stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde.

Though quaint by today's standards, the computer-graphic effects in the original "Tron" were cutting-edge at the time. Yet the movie was a box-office underachiever whose following somehow swelled in the intervening decades in a way that perplexed even the studio's executives.

"I sure wish I knew, because there is a very, very committed core group of people who just love that movie, and they have fanned the opening-weekend grosses," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.

Other newcomers premiered with modest to poor receipts, continuing a sluggish end to Hollywood's year.

The weekend proved no picnic for Dan Aykroyd's family flick "Yogi Bear," which fell flat at a weak No. 2 with $16.7 million. The Warner Bros. release features the voices of Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake in an adaptation of the TV cartoon about the picnic-basket-thieving bear.

With children out of school over the holidays, Warner Bros. executives hope "Yogi Bear" will hold up well through Christmas and New Year's.

"We wish it had been a bit higher, but we'll catch up as we get going," said Jeff Goldstein, the studio's general sales manager.

The previous weekend's top movie, 20th Century Fox's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," fell to No. 3 with $12.4 million, raising its total to $42.7 million.

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale's acclaimed boxing drama "The Fighter" had a so-so expansion nationwide after a stellar debut in limited release the previous weekend for the tale based on the life of real-life fighter Micky Ward. Released by Paramount, "The Fighter" came in at No. 4 with $12.2 million.

Reese Witherspoon's love-triangle romance "How Do You Know" was a dud with just $7.6 million, the Sony release opening at No. 8. The movie co-stars Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson.

Overall revenues slipped to $134 million, down 2.6 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Avatar" debuted with $77 million on its way to becoming the biggest modern blockbuster with a $2.8 billion worldwide haul.

Considering the huge gap between the "Avatar" revenues and those for "Tron: Legacy," Hollywood's general business held up fairly well because of this year's diverse undercard of new movies and holdovers.

"We weren't down that badly," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Last year, it was pretty much that one film. `Avatar' so heavily dominated that marketplace, which was great for `Avatar,' but for the other movies there wasn't much there."

"The King's Speech," a Weinstein Co. release that led Golden Globe contenders Tuesday with seven nominations, remained a strong earner as it continued its gradual expansion in limited release.

The film starring Colin Firth as Queen Elizabeth II's father, a reluctant king coping with a debilitating stammer, took in $1.1 million in 43 theaters, averaging a healthy $25,000 a cinema.

That compared to a $12,634 average in 3,451 theaters for "Tron: Legacy"; $4,752 in 3,515 cinemas for "Yogi Bear"; $4,874 in 2,503 locations for "The Fighter"; and $3,061 in 2,483 places for "How Do You Know."

Fox Searchlight's ballet drama "Black Swan," another top Globe nominee starring Natalie Portman, climbed the chart as it expanded into nationwide release with $8.3 million in 959 theaters, averaging $8,655 and coming in at No. 7.

In limited release, Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart's somber drama "Rabbit Hole" opened solidly with $55,000 in five theaters, averaging $11,000. The film, which earned Kidman a Globe nomination, centers on a couple struggling in their marriage after losing their young son in a traffic accident.

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

1. "Tron: Legacy," $43.6 million.

2. "Yogi Bear," $16.7 million.

3. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," $12.4 million.

4. "The Fighter," $12.2 million.

5. "The Tourist," $8.7 million.

6. "Tangled," $8.68 million.

7. "Black Swan," $8.3 million.

8. "How Do You Know," $7.6 million.

9. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," $4.8 million.

10. "Unstoppable," $1.8 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – The latest chapter in "The Chronicles of Narnia" saga has sailed to the top of the weekend box office, though the franchise sank to a weak debut compared to the first two movies.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third in the franchise based on C.S. Lewis' fantasy novels, took in $24.5 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie's romantic thriller "The Tourist" opened in second-place with $17 million.

"Dawn Treader" revenues showed a huge drop from 2005's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which took in $65.6 million over opening weekend, and 2008's "Prince Caspian," which did $55 million.

But with the movie topping $80 million in 85 countries overseas, for a worldwide total of $105.5 million, executives at distributor 20th Century Fox said they are making good headway toward recouping the movie's budget of just under $150 million.

"We had a huge task ahead of us to resurrect this franchise and get movie-goers back to that feeling of affection they had for the first movie. I think all the evidence says we've accomplished that," said Chris Aronson, head of distribution for Fox, which took over the "Narnia" series when Disney dropped it after the second movie finished at $141.6 million domestically, less than half the $291.7 million haul of the first. "I think they all had such a bad taste in their mouth from the last one. That's why we really had our work cut out for us."

"Dawn Treader" follows the adventures of some of the Pevensie siblings from the first two films as they take a magical sea voyage with their royal pal Caspian. Liam Neeson again provides the voice of talking lion Aslan.

Sony's "The Tourist" also had a quiet start. The film stars Jolie as an Englishwoman who picks up a mild-mannered American (Depp) on a train in Europe as a diversion while she's on the run from cops and gangsters.

"You have two of the biggest stars in the world, so expectations could be skewed a bit," said Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution. "But it certainly is a respectable opening."

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Disney's animated musical "Tangled," slipped to third-place with $14.6 million, raising its domestic total to $115.6 million.

Hollywood remains in a lull as it heads into the Christmas frenzy. Among the movies that will compete for holiday audiences are Jeff Bridges' sci-fi tale "Tron: Legacy," Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller's sequel "Little Fockers," Jack Black's comic adventure "Gulliver's Travel's" and Reese Witherspoon's romance "How Do You Know."

Overall revenues totaled $94 million, down 3 percent from the same weekend last year, when "The Princess and the Frog" was No. 1, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"The marketplace is pretty much in a malaise, unless you're a specialty or indie film playing in a limited number of theaters," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Those are really the bright spots in an otherwise lackluster post-Thanksgiving period."

In limited release, Natalie Portman's ballet drama "Black Swan" expanded to more theaters and leaped into the top-10, coming in at No. 6 with $3.3 million in just 90 cinemas. That gave it a strong average of $37,024 a theater, compared to $6,892 in 3,555 cinemas for "Dawn Treader" and $6,168 in 2,756 locations for "The Tourist."

Distributor Fox Searchlight expands "Black Swan" into nationwide release Friday, three days after the Golden Globe nominations, where the film is considered a likely contender in acting and other categories. Portman, also a strong Academy Awards prospect, plays a ballerina coming unglued amid the stress of fending off a rival for the lead in "Swan Lake."

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale's boxing drama "The Fighter" was the latest awards contender to put up huge numbers in a limited-release opening. The Paramount film took in $320,000 in four theaters, averaging a whopping $80,000.

"The Fighter" stars Wahlberg as real-life boxer Micky Ward, who overcame harsh family conflicts to earn a title shot in his mid-30s with help from half-brother Dicky Eklund (Bale), an ex-fighter whose life unraveled amid crime and crack addiction. The film expands to wide release Friday.

Disney's Shakespeare adaptation "The Tempest," with Helen Mirren playing the traditionally male lead of the play, opened modestly with $45,000 in five theaters, for a $9,000 average.

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

1. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," $24.5 million.

2. "The Tourist," $17 million.

3. "Tangled," $14.6 million.

4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," $8.5 million.

5. "Unstoppable," $3.8 million.

6. "Black Swan," $3.3 million.

7. "Burlesque," $3.2 million.

8. "Love & Other Drugs," $3 million.

9. "Due Date," $2.55 million.

10. "Megamind," $2.5 million.

And the Box Office Champion this week is...

First weekend I've slept past 8 AM in what feels like forever. But this is Hollywood's lone box office break for big movies before the end of the year, and the 2nd slowest grossing weekend of the year (since the Fri-Sat-Sun post-Thanksgiving is usually a turkey). But a lot of specialty films had their debuts or expansions including Fox Searchlight's drama Black Swan from Darren Aronofsky starring Natalie Portman (18 theaters in 8 cities -- NY, LA, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Dallas, Toronto). It had Friday's best per screen average with $23,660, and the studio knew it was over-performing when Friday's matinees were double the per screen average of Aronfsky's previous The Wrestler. Black Swan grossed $1.3M with a gross per theater average of $77,459, setting an all-time record for Fox Searchlight. (More than Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, Sideways, and Little Miss Sunshine all of which were in fewer theaters.) The drama also is the 2nd highest opening of a limited release for 2010, passing The Kids Are All Right and now only behind The King's Speech.

Disney's Tangled finally surged past Warner Bros' Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows which continues to dominate the overseas marketplace, grossing an estimated $54.4M in 62 territories for an international cume to date of now $469.1M and a global cume of $713.3M. Disney's 50th animated toon took in $26M this weekend from 15 territories representing 35% of the international market. With Tangled now hitting a domestic cume of $96.5M and overseas total of $45.8M, the new global cume is $142.3M:

1. Tangled (Disney) Week 2 [3,603 Theaters]
Friday $5.1M, Saturday $9.9M, Weekend $21.5M (-56%), Cume $96.5M

2. Harry Potter/Deathly Hallows (Warner Bros) Week 3 [4,125 Theaters]
Friday $4.8M, Saturday $7.4M, Weekend $16.7M, Cume $244.2M

3. Unstoppable (Fox) Week 4 [3,152 Theaters]
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.7M, Weekend $6.1M, Cume $68.8M

4. Burlesque (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [3,037 Theaters]
Friday $2M, Saturday $2.5M, Weekend $6.1M (-50%), Cume $26.9M

5. Love And Other Drugs (Fox) Week 2 [2,458 Theaters]
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $5.7M (-41%), Cume $22.6M

6. Megamind (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount) Week 5 [3,173 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $5M, Cume $136.7M

7. Due Date (Warner Bros) Week 5 [2,450 Theaters]
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $4.2M, Cume $91M

8. Faster (CBS Films/Sony) Week 2 [2,470 Theaters]
Friday $1.2M, Saturday $1.6M, Weekend $3.8M (-55%), Cume $18.1M

9. The Warrior's Way (Rogue/Relativity) NEW [1,622 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $3M

10. The Next Three Days (Lionsgate) Week 3 [2,236 Theaters]
Friday $815K, Saturday $M, Weekend $2.6M, Cume $18.4M
---
Specialty Films
127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Week 5 [433 Theaters]
Weekend $1.6M, Cume $6.5M

Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) NEW [18 Theaters]
Weekend $1.3M

Fair Game (Summit) Week 5 [436 Theaters]
Weekend $1M, Cume $7.3M

The King's Speech (Weinstein Co) Week 2 [6 Theaters]
Weekend $325K, Cume $808K

I Love You, Phillip Morris (Roadside Attractions) NEW [6 Theaters]
Weekend $113K

Waiting For 'Superman' (Paramount Vantage) Week [85 Theaters]
Weekend $36K, Cume $6.3M

All Good Things (Magnolia) NEW [2 Theaters]
Weekend $40K

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Young wizard Harry Potter fended off fairy-tale princess Rapunzel at the weekend box office.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" took in $49.1 million over Thanksgiving weekend to remain the No. 1 movie.

The animated musical "Tangled," an update of the Rapunzel fairy tale, debuted in second-place with $48.8 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. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I," Warner Bros., $49,087,101, 4,125 locations, $11,900 average, $219,056,129, two weeks.

2. "Tangled (3-D animated)," Disney, $48,767,052, 3,603 locations, $13,535 average, $68,706,298, one week.

3. "Megamind," Paramount/DreamWorks Animation, $12,575,778, 3,411 locations, $3,687 average, $130,218,934, four weeks.

4. "Burlesque," Sony/Screen Gems, $11,947,744, 3,037 locations, $3,934 average, $17,300,213, one week.

5. "Unstoppable," Fox, $11,432,903, 3,183 locations, $3,592 average, $60,442,621, three weeks.

6. "Love and Other Drugs," Fox, $9,739,161, 2,455 locations, $3,967 average, $13,901,532, one week.

7. "Faster," CBS Films, $8,523,153, 2,454 locations, $3,473 average, $12,002,840, one week.

8. "Due Date," Warner Bros., $7,167,885, 2,555 locations, $2,805 average, $84,861,008, four weeks.

9. "The Next Three Days," Lionsgate, $4,683,123, 2,564 locations, $1,826 average, $14,392,072, two weeks.

10. "Morning Glory," Paramount, $3,910,058, 2,441 locations, $1,602 average, $26,340,571, three weeks.

And the Box Office Champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Harry Potter has cast his biggest box-office spell yet with a franchise record $125.1 million domestically over opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" also added $205 million in 54 overseas countries, bringing the film's worldwide total to $330.1 million.

In terms of domestic revenue, "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" came in ahead of the series' best previous debut of $102.7 million for 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

But factoring in today's higher admission prices, the latest movie had roughly the same size audience as the franchise's best previous draws — "Goblet of Fire" and 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which launched the series. "Deathly Hallows" and those two earlier movies each sold around 16 million tickets in their first weekend.

Overseas markets for "Deathly Hallows" were led by a $28 million opening in Great Britain, $21.8 million in Germany, $14.8 million in Australia, $14 million in Japan and $12.3 million in Russia.

The movie audience has grown up along with young wizard Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint). Distributor Warner Bros. reported that 25 percent of the audience for the new movie was between 18 and 34, compared with only 10 percent for "Sorcerer's Stone" nine years ago.

"When we started `Harry Potter,' basically, the audience was driven to theaters by their parents. Today, those same kids are driving to the midnight shows themselves," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

DreamWorks Animation's "Megamind," the No. 1 movie the previous two weekends, fell to second-place with $16.2 million, raising its three-week total to $109.5 million.

Russell Crowe's thriller "The Next Three Days," the weekend's only other new wide release, debuted weakly at No. 5 with $6.8 million. Crowe plays a college instructor who plots a jail break to free his wife (Elizabeth Banks) after she's convicted of murder.

Playing in 4,125 theaters domestically, "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" averaged an enormous $30,332 a cinema. That compared with a $2,633 average in 2,564 theaters for "The Next Three Days."

The huge opening bodes well for next July's "Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the eighth and final movie based on J.K. Rowling's seven "Harry Potter" novels. The franchise so far has taken in more than $5.5 billion worldwide.

Warner Bros. plans to release "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in 3-D, which should give it a big box-office boost, since theaters charge a few dollars more to see movies projected in 3-D compared with 2-D.

"This is kind of the warmup to the potentially 3-D supercharged finale, and that could really take these `Potter' numbers to another level," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

The studio had hoped to release "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" in 3-D, but the filmmakers ran out of time to convert the film, which was shot in 2-D, for 3-D projection.

"Deathly Hallows: Part 1" landed at No. 6 on the domestic revenue chart for biggest opening weekends, a list headed by 2008's "The Dark Knight" with $158.4 million. It also was this year's second-biggest debut, behind "Iron Man 2," which is No. 5 on the all-time chart with $128.1 million.

With $61.2 million Friday, "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" had the fifth-biggest opening day ever.

The film took in $12.4 million, just over 10 percent of its weekend domestic revenue, in huge-screen IMAX theaters. That broke the previous IMAX record debut of $12.1 million set in March by "Alice in Wonderland."

"Harry Potter" was not able to lift Hollywood's total weekend receipts above last year's. Overall revenue came in at an estimated $197 million, down 24 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when the industry had a one-two punch with debuts of $142.8 million for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and $34.1 million for "The Blind Side," according to Hollywood.com.

Hollywood is poised for big business over Thanksgiving, one of its busiest weekends.

Revenues should remain strong for "Harry Potter," while studios are delivering a broad range of newcomers with Disney's animated musical "Tangled," featuring the voice of Mandy Moore; Sony's song-and-dance tale "Burlesque," starring Christina Aguilera and Cher; 20th Century Fox's romance "Love & Other Drugs," with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway: and CBS Films' action thriller "Faster," featuring Dwayne Johnson.

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

1. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," $125.1 million.

2. "Megamind," $16.2 million.

3. "Unstoppable," $13.1 million.

4. "Due Date," $9.2 million.

5. "The Next Three Days," $6.8 million.

6. "Morning Glory," $5.2 million.

7. "Skyline," $3.4 million.

8. "Red," $2.5 million.

9. "For Colored Girls," $2.4 million.

10. "Fair Game," $1.5 million.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Will Ferrell's dastardly schemes continue to succeed, with the animated "Megamind" staying at the top of the box office.

The DreamWorks Animation 3-D comedy, featuring Ferrell as the voice of a super villain, made just over $30 million in its second week in theaters, according to Sunday studio estimates. It's now made nearly $90 million total. "Megamind" also features the voices of Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill.

Opening in second place is the 20th Century Fox action thriller "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as railroad workers trying to stop a massive runaway train. It made $23.5 million. The movie is based on a 2001 Ohio incident in which a train carrying hazardous cargo traveled 66 miles without a crew.

Last week's No. 2 film, "Due Date," fell to the third spot with $15.5 million. The Warner Bros. comedy features Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as opposites stuck together on a cross-country road trip. It's now made $59 million in two weeks.

Among the weekend's other new releases, "Skyline" opened in fourth place with $11.7 million. The Universal Pictures sci-fi thriller depicts aliens invading and destroying Los Angeles. And "Morning Glory," a Paramount comedy set in a network morning show starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, opened at No. 5 with about $9.6 million.

Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation, said positive word of mouth helped "Megamind" remain on top.

"It's exciting because audiences are clearly responding very well to the movie," said Globe. "This was a decided No. 1 again. We were only down 35 percent, which is a pretty terrific hold for the movie."

But "Megamind" is the rare family movie in theaters these days, which also helps, said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. Next week, the feverishly anticipated first half of the "Harry Potter" finale, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," debuts.

"Up until 'Megamind' the marketplace was virtually devoid of any family films," Dergarabedian said. "The R-rated films were dominating: You had 'Paranormal Activity 2,' 'Saw 3-D,' 'Jackass 3D.' Then there was a plethora of adult-oriented dramas: 'Secretariat,' 'The Social Network,' 'Hereafter,' all those films. Then there were movies for older audiences like 'Red.'"

The fact that "Megamind" is in 3-D is also a draw to younger audiences, he said: "Kids love 3-D. Kids love the gimmicky thing."

"Unstoppable," the fifth film Washington has made with director Tony Scott, debuted slightly better than the $21.4 million average opening of their collaborations. Previously, they'd worked on "Crimson Tide," "Man on Fire," "Deja Vu" and "The Taking of Pelham 123."

The movie had surprisingly good reviews for an action picture — 86 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes — and the audience was evenly divided between men and women, said Bert Livingston, general sales manager for 20th Century Fox

"It doesn't happen very often, but when you get reviews like that and people like the movie so much, and they come out and tell their friends, it's the first weekend but it's just a beginning," Livingston said.

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

1. "Megamind," $30 million.

2. "Unstoppable," $23.5 million.

3. "Due Date," $15.5 million.

4. "Skyline," 11.7 million.

5. "Morning Glory," $9.6 million.

6. "For Colored Girls," $6.75 million.

7. "Red," $5.1 million.

8. "Paranormal Activity 2," $3 million.

9. "Saw 3-D," $2.75 million.

10. "Jackass 3-D," $2.3 million.

And the Box Office Champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The "Saw" horror franchise is not as sharp as it used to be, but the seventh -- and reportedly -- final entry in the annual Halloween franchise managed to take the top spot at the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

"Saw 3D" earned $24.2 million during the three days beginning on Friday, in line with muted expectations, but still the series' third-lowest opening.

Last year's disappointing "Saw VI" launched to just $14.1 million, crushed by the "Paranormal Activity" chiller. The four entries before that all opened at No. 1 with more than $30 million each. The first film in distributor Lionsgate's lucrative series, opened at No. 3 in 2004 with $14.1 million.

Last weekend's champion, "Paranormal Activity 2," slipped to No. 2 with $16.5 million, taking the 10-day haul for Paramount Pictures' scary movie sequel to $65.7 million.

Summit Entertainment's Bruce Willis-led crime ensemble "Red" held at No. 3 with $10.8 million, giving it a $58.9 million total after three weekends.

The only other new entry in the top 10 was Fox Searchlight's Hilary Swank legal drama "Conviction," which jumped 15 places to No. 10 with $1.8 million in its first weekend of wide release.

Lionsgate is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. Summit Entertainment is privately held. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of News Corp.

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Fear has taken hold at the box office with a $41.5 million debut for scary movie "Paranormal Activity 2," according to studio estimates Sunday.

Paramount Pictures' follow-up to last year's micro-budgeted hit "Paranormal Activity" got a jump on Halloween as fans packed theaters for another documentary-style thriller about a household plagued by a menacing spirit.

"Paranormal Activity 2" did nearly half its business on Friday, following the pattern of many fright-flick franchises, which often draw big crowds on opening day then drop off sharply. The movie took in $20.1 million Friday, with receipts falling to $13 million Saturday and $8.4 million Sunday.

The first "Paranormal Activity" rolled out gradually from city to city in a stealth-marketing campaign that built the buzz for the independently produced thriller that was shot for less than $15,000.

By the time the movie went into nationwide release, it had turned into a horror sensation that went on to become a $100 million hit.

The first movie came out of nowhere, and follow-up films to similar surprise smashes sometimes fall flat, such as "The Blair Witch Project" sequel. In its publicity campaign, Paramount tried to maintain an air of mystery around "Paranormal Activity 2."

"The challenge was to not make the mistake of some other movies of the past, and to treat it as its own very special entity. Even though we went wide with it, we tried to treat it a lot like the first one was treated from a publicity and marketing standpoint," said Don Harris, the studio's executive vice president for distribution.

Paramount also had the No. 2 movie with the stunt comedy "Jackass 3D," which opened in first place the previous weekend. "Jackass 3D" pulled in $21.6 million, down sharply from its $50 million opening.

But the movie raised its 10-day total to $87.1 million, more than either of the earlier two "Jackass" movies took in during their entire runs.

Summit Entertainment's action comedy "Red" held up well from its No. 2 debut a weekend earlier, slipping to third with $15 million and lifting its 10-day total to $43.5 million.

After opening Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon's "Hereafter" in limited release a week earlier, Warner Bros. expanded the supernatural drama nationwide, and the film came in at No. 4 with $12 million.

That slightly exceeded the studio's expectations, yet like most Eastwood dramas, it was a modest start. His films play to older adults who do not rush out on opening weekend in the same numbers as young crowds.

"Clint's movies these days are more of a marathon than they are a sprint, so we'll see how it plays out," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner. "I always tell Clint, `Let's not talk about the first weekend. Let's talk about the third.'"

"Hereafter" played well in bigger cities but delivered softer business in some parts of the South and Midwest. That could be a sign that Bible Belt areas were not as interested in "Hereafter," which deals with the afterlife in secular fashion without bringing God or religion into the picture.

The big opening for "Paranormal Activity 2" sets up a rematch of last Halloween season, when the first "Paranormal Activity" dismembered an established horror franchise and "Saw VI" debuted weakly with the worst opening weekend in the series' history.

Lionsgate went back to the drawing board for the seventh "Saw" movie, opening this Friday. "Saw 3D" brings back Cary Elwes from the franchise's first movie and mixes other cast members from throughout the series, while trying to capitalize on fan appetite for flicks shot in 3-D.

"This is a bigger, more powerful `Saw,' so to speak," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It kind of primes up audiences for a major Halloween smackdown battle of the horror films, but I think `Saw 3D' is going to be a much more formidable opponent."

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

1. "Paranormal Activity 2," $41.5 million.

2. "Jackass 3D," $21.6 million.

3. "Red," $15 million.

4. "Hereafter," $12 million.

5. "The Social Network," $7.3 million.

6. "Secretariat," $6.9 million.

7. "Life as We Know It," $6.2 million.

8. "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," $3.2 million.

9. "The Town," $2.7 million.

10. "Easy A," $1.8 million.

And the Box Office champion this week is...

As a studio exec joked to me Friday, "The Oscar race has been turned on its head". That's because Paramount's Jackass 3D aimed at the youth market not only earned twice the gross of Sony's Academy Awards-touted Facebook origins film starting its 3rd week Friday, but knocked it out of #1. Producers Johnny Knoxville's and Spike Jonze's stupid stunt pic directed by Jeff Tremaine earned a "B+" CinemaScore. Still the headline is that, despite the restriction of an "R" rating, it opened to a whopping Friday for the biggest single day ever in October because of the higher 3D ticket prices. That included $2.5M from midnight shows, also the most ever for October. Plus a healthy Saturday after the "first to see" subsided. Its $50M weekend take was the record for the biggest opening in the month of October (besting Scary Movie 3 which did $48.1M in October 2003 but was only 2D). Guess this shows Hollywood that movies don't need a script and a plot, right? With a budget of only $20M, the studio would have been more than happy with the $30M weekend it expected from the higher ticket prices from the 2,452 3D-equipped locations. (The first 2D Jackass opened with a $22.8M weekend and the 2D sequel to $29M.) Believe it or not, I'm told the filmmakers debated whether or not shooting a film in 3D would mess up their comedic timing.

1. Jackass 3D (Paramount) NEW [3,081 Theaters]
Friday $21.8M, Saturday $17M, Weekend $50M

2. Red (Summit) NEW [3,255 Theaters]
Friday $7.3M, Saturday $9.2M, Weekend $22.5M

3. The Social Network (Sony) Week 3 [2,868 Theaters]
Friday $3.3M, Saturday $4.6M, Weekend $11M, Cume $63.1M

4. Secretariat (Disney) Week 2 [3,072 Theaters]
Friday $2.8M, Saturday $4.1M, Weekend $9.5M (-25%), Cume $27.7M

5. Life As We Know It (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,150 Theaters]
Friday $3.1M, Saturday $3.8M, Weekend $9.2M (-37%), Cume $29.1M

6. The Town (Warner Bros) Week 5 [2,368 Theaters]
Friday $1.2M, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $4M, Cume $80.6M

7. Legend Of The Guardians (Warner Bros) Week 4 [2,502 Theaters]
Friday $1M, Saturday $1.9M, Weekend $4.2M, Cume $45.7M

8. My Soul To Take (Rogue/Universal) Week 2 [2,529 Theaters]
Friday $1M (-62%), Saturday $1.4M, Weekend $3.1M (-54%), Cume $12M

9. Easy A (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 5 [2,314 Theaters]
Friday $855K, Saturday $1.2M, Weekend $2.6M, Cume $52.3M

10. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Fox) Week 4 [2,405 Theaters]
Friday $715K, Saturday $1M, Weekend $2.2M, Cume $47.9M

And the Box Office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – Movie fans have bookmarked the Facebook drama "The Social Network" as their weekend favorite.

David Fincher's saga about personality clashes and legal feuds among the website's founders took in $15.5 million to remain the No. 1 film for a second straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Released by Sony, "The Social Network" raised its 10-day total to $46.1 million.

Debuting a close second with a so-so $14.6 million weekend was the Warner Bros. romance "Life as We Know It," starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel as sparring guardians to an orphaned girl.

Disney's horse-racing drama "Secretariat," starring Diane Lane, also had a so-so debut, coming in at No. 3 with $12.6 million.

Opening a weak No. 5 with $7 million was Wes Craven's serial killer thriller "My Soul to Take," released by Rogue Pictures.

In narrower release, the Focus Features tale "It's Kind of a Funny Story" opened at No. 12 with a slim $2 million. The movie stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis in the story of a teen who checks himself into a psychiatric ward.

With great reviews, audience word-of-mouth and Academy Awards buzz, "The Social Network" saw its business hold up well, dropping a scant 31 percent from opening weekend.

"It's the type of picture that people can't take their eyes off of," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony. "Just about everyone has said to me that it's a movie they want to see again, as well. This picture is going to be around for a long time."

"The Social Network" dominated a field of newcomers and holdovers fighting largely for fans 25 and older, a segment of the audience less likely to jam into theaters than those in their teens and early 20s.

"There's probably a bit of an overabundance," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution at Disney.

Like other distributors, though, Disney was counting on positive reactions from older fans to keep "Secretariat" on track in subsequent weeks. Along with Sony's "The Social Network," Warner Bros. has maintained strong business for Ben Affleck's heist thriller "The Town," which took in $6.4 million this weekend and raised its total to $73.8 million after four weeks.

"Typically, this should be a horse race, but if what's happening this fall continues, this is probably going to play out more like a marathon for all of us," Viane said.

Female crowds made up just over two-thirds of the audience for "Life as We Know It," according to Warner Bros. That segment of the audience often holds up well in the weeks following a movie's debut.

"Yes, there is a whole bunch of stuff for adults this year," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner general sales manager. "But the female audience goes for a certain level, and for us, I think we kind of hit that. I think we'll hang around a while."

While studio executives are talking optimistically, overall business is lagging, with revenues down most weekends since early September.

Total receipts came in at about $93 million, down 15 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Couples Retreat" led the market with a $34.3 million debut, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"It's a great time for the adult drama genre," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "But if you're just tapping into the over-30 crowd, you're going to be fine, but you're not going to see the sort of business you'd get with a big, populist movie like `Couples Retreat' a year ago. That appealed to everybody, the date crowd and all that."

Paramount has a potential hit for younger fans this coming weekend with "Jackass 3D," the latest installment of crazy stunts and pranks from Johnny Knoxville and company.

Several films opened well in limited release. Sony Pictures Classics' documentary "Inside Job," which examines the 2008 economic crisis, took in $42,017 in two theaters, averaging a strong $21,009 a cinema. That compared to an average of $4,646 in 3,150 theaters for "Life as We Know It" and $4,102 in 3,072 locations for "Secretariat."

The Weinstein Co. drama "Nowhere Boy," the story of John Lennon's teen years, opened with $56,065 in four theaters for a $14,016 average.

Overture Films' prison parole tale "Stone," starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, premiered with $73,000 in six theaters for a $12,167 average.

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

1. "The Social Network," $15.5 million.

2. "Life as We Know It," $14.6 million.

3. "Secretariat," $12.6 million.

4. "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," $7 million.

5. "My Soul to Take," $6.9 million.

6. "The Town," $6.4 million.

7. "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," $4.6 million.

8. "Easy A," $4.2 million.

9. "Case 39," $2.6 million.

10. "You Again," $2.5 million.

___

Via Hollywood.com

And the box office champion this week is...

LOS ANGELES – "The Social Network," David Fincher's drama chronicling the contentious origins of Facebook, won the most friends at the weekend box office with a $22.4 million debut.

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. "The Social Network," Sony, $22,445,653, 2,771 locations, $8,100 average, $22,445,653, one week.

2. "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," Warner Bros., $10,887,429, 3,575 locations, $3,045 average, $30,079,298, two weeks.

3. "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," Fox, $10,002,578, 3,597 locations, $2,781 average, $35,778,429, two weeks.

4. "The Town," Warner Bros., $9,749,332, 2,935 locations, $3,322 average, $64,056,752, three weeks.

5. "Easy A," Sony Screen Gems, $6,748,777, 2,974 locations, $2,269 average, $42,176,967, three weeks.

6. "You Again," Disney, $5,722,566, 2,548 locations, $2,246 average, $16,607,633, two weeks.

7. "Case 39," Paramount, $5,350,570, 2,211 locations, $2,420 average, $5,350,570, one week.

8. "Let Me In," Overture, $5,147,479, 2,021 locations, $2,547 average, $5,147,479, one week.

9. "Devil," Universal, $3,564,055, 2,392 locations, $1,490 average, $27,291,460, three weeks.

10. "Alpha and Omega," Lionsgate, $2,924,868, 2,303 locations, $1,270 average, $18,949,437, three weeks.

And the box office champion this week is...

Late shows made the difference after a sluggish Friday box office, especially for matinees. But attendance picked up dramatically on Saturday, as much as +24%-to-+38%, allowing a clear winner for the 3-day weekend to emerge, Focus Features' The American starring George Clooney with $12.9M. Sony's holdover Takers was close behind Saturday. But Machete from Robert Rodriguez should finish the 3-day weekend with $11.3M, good enough for 2nd place. Here are Friday, Saturday, and estimated Labor Day holiday weekend grosses for North America. Analysis coming:

1. The American (Focus Features) NEW [2,823 Theaters] Opened Wed
Friday $3.8M, Saturday $4.9M, 3-Day Weekend $13.3M, Est 4-Day Holiday $16.1M, Est Cume $19.2M

2. Machete (Fox) NEW [2,670 Theaters]
Friday $3.9M, Saturday $3.9M, 3-Day Weekend $11.3M, Est 4-Day Holiday $14.7M)

3. Takers (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,206 Theaters]
Friday $3.1M, Saturday $4.3M, 3-Day Weekend $11.2M (-45%), Est 4-Day Holiday $14.5M, Est Cume $40.5M

4. The Last Exorcism (Lionsgate) Week 2 [2,874 Theaters]
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $3M, 3-Day Weekend $7.8M (-62%), Est 4-Day Holiday $9.5M, Est Cume $34.3M

5. Going The Distance (Warner Bros) NEW [3,030 Theaters]
Friday $2.2M, Saturday $2.4M, 3-Day Weekend $6.8M, Est 4-Day Holiday $8.5M