The new Gerard Butler-Jessica Biel romantic comedy may be “Playing For Keeps,” but it didn’t stand a chance against powerhouse holdovers “Skyfall” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II” at the box office on Friday.
In its fifth week, the James Bond film came in at No. 1 with $3.1 million, raising its domestic total to an impressive $253 million. Earlier this week, it became the highest-grossing film in U.K. history.
Likewise, “Breaking Dawn” — now in its fourth week — scared up another $2.8 million. The final film in the lucrative franchise, its U.S. box office come stands at $263 million. It will likely earn around $9 million for the weekend.
Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed historical epic “Lincoln” continues to win voters over, taking in another $2.5 million. Now at $90.7 million, it should have no trouble topping the $100 million mark over the next few days.
In fourth place was DreamWorks Animation’s “Rise of the Guardians,” which continues to struggle. It picked up $2.3 million, brining its domestic gross up to a less-than-stellar $53.6 million. Its fortunes could improve, however, as kids are let our of school soon.
Ang Lee’s epic “Life of Pi” netted $2.2 million. The adaptation of Yann Martel’s divisive novel has so far earned $54.8 million in the U.S.
FilmDistrict’s “Playing For Keeps,” the only new wide release of the weekend, was lost in the shuffle of acclaimed holdovers. Despite an attractive cast including Butler, Biel, Uma Thurman and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it picked up only $2.1 million on Friday. It will likely earn just $6 million for the weekend.
Things will pick up at the box office again next weekend when the expected juggernaut “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” opens, leading into a slew of big holiday releases.
Look for complete weekend estimates Sunday on HitFix.