Proving that movies about scary boarders never get old, Sony Pictures’ “The Roommate” opened to no. 1 at the box office Friday with $6.4 million. The critically maligned thriller stars pretty faces Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly and Cam Gigandet. “Roommate” could preform anywhere from between $14-17 million for the weekend depending on the Friday to Saturday drop (or bounce). Sunday’s Super Bowl will also have a major effect on business as most of America sits down in front of their televisions to watch the big game.
Debuting in second place and seemingly getting little boost from 3-D or IMAX theaters was the James Cameron produced thriller “Sanctum.” The Universal Pictures release grossed just $3.5 million for what could be a $10 million three-day at best.
Dropping to third was the surprisingly strong “No Strings Attached.” The R-rated comedy has filled something of an adult comedy void in the market place earning another $2.9 million for $46.2 million in just 15 days of release. The low budget comedy will clearly pass $50 million by the time the weekend is out.
“The King’s Speech” continued to find the biggest Oscar nominations boost in fourth with another $2.3 million. The celebrated Tom Hooper drama has found $78.1 million to date.
After winning last weekend, Warner Bros.’ “The Rite” had a hard fall to number five with just $1.9 million on Friday and $20 million to date.
“The Green Hornet” and “The Mechanic” were’t far behind with about $1.8 million each.
Look for updated weekend box office estimates tomorrow on HitFix.