Snow subdued the box office Friday, but moviegoers returned Saturday as Anthony Hopkins’ “The Rite” sealed the deal on capturing the no. 1 slot for the weekend with $15 million. That was just under pre-release polling, but weather in the Northeast diminished some of the film’s expected Hispanic audience.
Dropping only 30% to second was last week’s champ, “No Strings Attached.” The Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman romantic comedy grossed another $13.6 million for $39.7 million to date. The R-rated flick is reported to have cost only $25 million and should be a nice profit center for Paramount Pictures.
Debuting in third was “The Mechanic” with $11.5 million. The CBS Films thriller preformed above expectations with a nice Friday to Saturday bump.
“The Green Hornet” edged past “The King’s Speech” for fourth place with $11.5 million. The Michel Gondry 3-D extravaganza has grossed $78.8 million to date.
Oscar contender “The King’s Speech” settled for fifth with $11.1 million and $72.2 million so far. With accolades continuing to pile in for the Tom Hooper drama, “Speech” should easily pass the $100 million mark.
Another notable totals include “Black Swan” reaching $90 million, “The Fighter” is still punching with $78 million, “True Grit” is at $148.3 million and, no joke, “Yogi Bear” has reached $92.5 million.
Next weekend’s new releases include “The Roommate” and “Sanctum.”
Weekend actuals will be released on Monday.