Universal’s Little Fockers grossed $7.1 million from 3,536 theaters on Thursday at the domestic box office, according to preliminary estimates. That brings the film’s two-day cume to $14.3 million. A version of this review appeared Wednesday. Before most of America gets together with their families for the Christmas holiday, a good portion of them took to the theaters Thursday to enjoy the comedic stylings of “Little Fockers.” The third Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller tête-à-tête found another $7.2 million on Thursday for a two-day total of $14.4 million. While solid business, that’s far behind the franchise’s previous installment, Meet the Fockers,” which grossed $24.2 million over its first two days in 2006. Nipping at “Fockers’” heels was Disney’s “Tron Legacy” with another $6.1 million and a seven day cume of $68.2 million. “Legacy” will easily pass $100 million domestic, but whether it can truly become a franchise hit remains to be seen. From brilliance to banality. ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is the latest from Jack Black and it seems to rest entirely on his shoulders. If you’re a fan of Black, you’ll probably enjoy the film. If you’re not then you’ll want to stay away. Disney’s 3D holiday offering Tron: Legacy came in No. 2 on Thursday, grossing an estimated $6.1 million from 3,531 locations for a cume of $68.2 million in its first seven days. Hitting the trail in third was “True Grit.” The Coen Bros.

Some of these references, too, hail from Portis’ book, but after tackling the trials of Job in A Serious Man , the moviemaking siblings appear to have taken an especially keen interest in the venerable Christian and Hebrew texts. Paramount’s True Grit placed No. 3, grossing roughly $5.7 million from 3,047 theaters for a pleasing two-day total of at least $11.2 million. “Yogi Bear” drummed up some more family business for fourth place with $3.8 million and $28 million so far. Playing in 3,515 theaters, Yogi’s cume is $28 million in its first seven days. It will battle “Fockers” and “Gulliver’s Travels” for major family coin during the holiday break beginning tomorrow. After the cash-strapped dad takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, however, Jack’s suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back. Jeff Bridges – whose previous collaboration with the Coens produced cinema’s iconic stoner, Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski – plays Cogburn with eye patch and baggy long johns, and with a gruff, grizzled conviction.

Among specialty offerings, Fox Searchlight’s Black Swan remained a favorite, coming in No. 7 with a gross of $1.8 million from 1,462 theaters for a cume of $22.4 million. Theater traffic is expected to drop off dramatically today, and then begin picking up tomorrow afternoon.

“Tron Legacy” is on track to turn the Disney sci-fi series into a money-making franchise. The sequel to the innovative 1982 video-game fantasy flick snagged the top spot at the Friday box office. Warner Bros.’s CGI/live-action hybrid “Yogi Bear” grossed $4.6-million domestically Friday, according to estimates from boxofficemojo.com . Black Swan – Natalie Portman Natalie Portman talks about her acclaimed perfomance and her role in “Your Hi… The movies been selling well in pre-sales all week. Coming in second on Friday was the CGI/live-action Yogi Bear with $4.7 million. The glossy onscreen adaptation of the classic literature series has pulled in an estimated $33.9 million since hitting theaters last week. Thursday Movietickets.com reported that 67% of all the tickets sold on their site this week were for Tron: Legacy . Both films grossed an estimated $2.6 million, coming in No. 5 and No. 6.

Early reports indicate that Legacy is earning a significant portion of its box office take in IMAX theaters. Toplining Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp , Tourist likely benefited from Golden Globe nominations for the two actors, although that pic isn’t doing so well either. The inspirational drama will draw on good word of mouth throughout the rest of awards season and an expected slew of Oscar nominations. Check back Sunday for the complete weekend box office estimates and analysis. Some theaters are charging as much as an astronomical $30 per ticket for showings of Legacy . Paramount and Relativity Media’s awards favorite The Fighter came into the ring particularly strong, grossing an estimated $3.9 million from 2,503 theaters to rank No. 3 for the day.

The movies expected to do well overseas too, with major marketing pushes in Japan, particularly. Rounding out the top five is the star-studded romantic comedy “How Do You Know.” Boasting a top-flight lineup that includes Jack Nicholson and focuses on Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd who are caught up in an increasingly messy love triangle, the flick picked up $2.5 million as it headed into the weekend. Check out everything we’ve got on “Tron Legacy,” “Yogi Bear” and “The Fighter.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

- The week after Thanksgiving is historically known for its precipitous drops, and in that regard, this weekend didn’t disappoint. The overall box office was down 54 percent from last week, as Disney’s “Tangled,” armed with a frying pan, bludgeoned its way past “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″ to claim first place with $21.5 million, according to studio estimates. Fairy-tale locks bested boy-wizard drama at this weekend’s box office. “Tangled,” Disney’s modernized take on the classic children’s tale “Rapunzel,” wrested the box-office crown away from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1″ over the weekend after coming in behind the fantasy phenomenon last week. With no new major releases this week, the “Rapunzel” movie was able to take down the young wizard and finally earn the top spot with $21.5 million. The animated spin on the Rapunzel fairy tale has so far grossed $96.5 million.

With Disney’s Tron: Legacy , among other titles, still to be released overseas in 2010, the full year’s foreign box office record figure will be boosted significantly higher. (For the month of November, Paramount claimed the biggest gross total of the big six with $117.5 million.) As of Nov. 30, Warner Bros., the distributor of Deathly Hallows , has taken over second spot in the year-to-date overseas sweepstakes (elbowing Disney aside), claiming $2.550 billion in foreign box office January-through-November. (Disney’s YTD figure was $2.115 billion.) Fox remains in first place with an 11-month tally of $2.612 billion. The Warrior’s Way hasn’t seen a lot of marketing over the last few months and only opened in 1,600+ theaters, prompting audiences to generally pass it over at ticket buying time. Meanwhile, Deathly Hallows grossed $54.4 million down 52% from the prior weekend’s tally from about 14,000 screens in 62 territories. After performing well mid-week the film is approaching the $30 million mark. Although it’s already blasted past both the $100 million and $200 million box-office mark, “Potter” appears to be losing some of its momentum. While the movie dropped 55.9% from the week before, it was shown on 3,603 screens, earning $5,967 on each screen for a weekend total of about $21.5 million. Deathly Hallows Part One slipped further than Tangled did, giving the animated adventure a chance at seeing what number one feels like. In just two weeks the movie has earned around $96.4 million, which is not even half of its purported $260 million budget. Hopefully it’s worth the blood bath the movie is taking at the box office. That translates to 3,355 screens in 15 territories, which threw off a weekend gross of $26 million. Also impressive in its second weekend is the incredible period drama The King’s Speech from the Weinstein Co. Adding two playdates this weekend, the film in just six theatres pulled in an impressive $325,874 and another terrific average of $54,312. Word-of-mouth will continue to be strong for both of these limited release performers. The film’s total estimated tally currently stands at just under $27 million.

While the movie dropped 65.9% from the week before, it was shown on 4,125 screens, earning $4,057 on each screen for a weekend total of about $16.7 million. “Unstoppable” continues to maintain a top-five presence at the box office, taking the fourth-place slot over the weekend. For the full weekend update top ten, check out the chart below: Although the weekend “Unstoppable” haul is identical to “Burlesque,” the latter movie averaged more cash per theater. “Burlesque” pulled down $2,009 for each of movie house while “Unstoppable” made $1,935. Brazil contributed $2.6 million from 245 spots while Germany registered $1.7 million from 552 situations. While the movie dropped 46.6% from last week, it was shown on 31 less screens for a total of 3,152. Speaking of “The King’s Speech,” the historical drama and presumed Oscar front-runner dropped a mere 8 percent for $326,000. Also in limited release, the Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor romantic comedy, “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” debuted to $113,000 from six theaters, for a respectable $18,883 per-theater average.

The overall box office was down 54 percent from last week, as Disney’s Tangled , armed with a frying pan, bludgeoned its way past Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 to claim first place with $21.5 million, according to studio estimates. Tangled declined 56 percent from last weekend — a modest drop for a weekend that’s particularly harsh to family films. Making for a surprise finish to the weekend box office, “Tangled” has locked down the top spot for the weekend of December 3-5, 2010. Related Videos Tangled – Teaser This humorous take on the “Rapunzel” fairy tale finds our dear heroine has le… The picture has earned $96.5 million since its release Nov. 24. Black Swan – Natalie Portman Natalie Portman talks about her acclaimed perfomance and her role in “Your Hi… After performing well mid-week the film is approaching the $30 million mark.

The weekend’s only new wide release, the R-rated Western-meets-martial-arts cocktail The Warrior’s Way , made an impact that only a seismometer could detect. Studio executives love to crow that when a film succeeds, it does so because of its merit, not its release schedule. Of the other holdover films in theaters, runaway train thriller “Unstoppable” with Denzel Washington and musical “Burlesque,” starring Christina Aguilera and Cher, nearly tied in the No. 3 and No. 4 rankings with $6.1 million each. In its second week in theaters, “Burlesque” has sold just under $27 million worth of tickets for its Sony Screen Gems studio, a division of Sony Corp’s, while “Unstoppable” has taken in roughly $69 million in four weeks for News Corp unit 2Oth Century Fox. Also finding $6.1 million this weekend was Tony Scott’s “Unstoppable.” The Chris Pine and Denzel Washington thriller now has $68.8 million and should surpass the $80 million mark when all is said in done. Just three weekends left in the year and thankfully several strong titles on the way as we head toward what we hope will be a strong finish to the box office year of 2010. “Studios typically avoid programming any big titles into this slot because of the big pullback on spending,” says Gitesh Pandya of BoxOfficeGuru.com. Rounding out the top five movies was romance “Love and Other Drugs,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Speaking of The King’s Speech , the historical drama (and presumed Oscar frontrunner) dropped a mere 8 percent for $326,000.

The Cher musical Burlesque and Unstoppable , the runaway train thriller with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine , tied for third place with $6.1 million. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 — $16.7 mil 3. (tie) Burlesque — $6.1 mil 3. (tie) Unstoppable — $6.1 mil 5. Love and Other Drugs — $5.7 mil.

Logging a record France opening, Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I commanded the foreign theatrical circuit for the second weekend in a row, drawing $113.2 million down 44% from its opening round from some 19,000 screens in 62 territories. Overseas gross total, $389.2 million, is $168.8 million more than the seventh Harry Potter installment has grossed so far in the U.S. and Canada. “ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” was the top movie of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, taking in $50.3 million in ticket sales over three days for Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. “Tangled,” Walt Disney Co. ’s animated update of the fairy tale Rapunzel, opened with $49.1 million in sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said today in an e-mailed statement. In France, where Deathly Hallows opened at 994 sites, it generated $19.1 million, which Warners said was “the highest opening weekend in 2010.” The U.K. provided $13.6 million from 580 locations for a market cume of $53.5 million. Walt Disney’s new 3D animated comedy Tangled put up quite a fight for the top spot and came close to unseating the boy wizard, ending up with a terrific five-day second place opening in the process. The film was one of four new movies in wide release this weekend. Germany weighed in with $10.4 million from 1,450 screens for a cume of $36.8 million. The PG-13 fantasy film has now earned $220.4 million in 10 days, which is the tenth-best 10-day tally on record. The next-to-last “Harry Potter” movie raised its domestic total to $220.4 million after just 10 days in theaters, according to distributor Warner Bros. That took the film’s total US earnings above 220 million dollars as it continues to set records around the world. But Potter just barely outdid Disney’s new hairy animated hit “Tangled,” which earned an impressive 49.1 million dollars for the same period, and 69 million over five days as the United States marked its Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Meanwhile Will Ferrell’s super-villain comedy “Megamind” earned the third spot, netting 12.8 million dollars for the three-day stretch.

The movie raised its five-day total to $69 million since opening the day before Thanksgiving. Rowling , all opened in first place. “‘Harry Potter’ is one of those cultural phenomena,” said Chad Hartigan, a box-office analyst at Los Angeles-based Exhibitor Relations Co. “The movies have become more and more mature, and they are able to hang on to audience and make new fans. ‘Harry Potter’ will be the biggest movie of this holiday season.” ‘Tangled’ “Deathly Hallows Part 1” was forecast to generate $50 million in sales from Nov. 26 through today, according to Gitesh Pandya , editor of Box Office Guru. No. 3, Unstoppable from 20th Century Fox chugged to $9.2 million from 4,531 screens in 50 markets – eight of them new for an early international gross total of $43.2 million. While “Deathly Hallows” continued to work box-office magic, Disney’s “Tangled” far exceeded industry expectations, delivering the second-biggest Thanksgiving debut ever behind “Toy Story 2,” which had a $57.4 million opening. Of course, the ticket prices for each of those films were lower than Hallows which puts the latest chapter slightly behind its predecessors. “Tangled” not only shot past that mark but also challenged “Harry Potter” for the No. 1 spot. And word-of-mouth couldn’t be more favorable, as CinemaScore audiences handed the animated retelling of Rapunzel the first “A+” grade of the year.

Of the 3,609 screens the film opened on, 2,461 were 3D equipped. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway’s romance “Love & Other Drugs” debuted at No. 6 with a three-day haul of $9.9 million and a total of $14 million since opening Wednesday. Distribution’s Little White Lies , $39.5 million in France only; Fox’s Vampires Suck , $43 million; Universal’s Senna , $2.5 million from Brazil and Japan; Sony’s Takers ,” $9 million; EuroCorp. Distribution’s The Man Who Wanted to Live His Life , $8.6 million in France only; Sony’s The Other Guys , $49.6 million; and Universal’s The Kids Are All Right , $3.2 million (Universal territories only).

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 has taken the top spot at the box office for the second week in a row! LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – 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.

“Megamind” is still ruling the world. “Megamind” also features the voices of Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill. The DreamWorks animated film earned $26 million at the box office for a cumulative total of $88 million, according to Deadline . Dreamworks’ animated ‘Megamind’ makes its two in a row with $30 million for the weekend against a small 35% second weekend drop. The all-star animated feature took on Robert Downey Jr. and newcomers Denzel Washington and Harrison Ford to remain on top at the nation’s theatres. The film has earned close to $90 million after just ten days of release. Not far behind, Denzel Washington’s train-based movie “Unstoppable” wound up settling for second place with a respectable $23.5 million total. The movie, about a bad guy who has to change his ways when his longtime rival is out of the picture, took in just over $30 million. The new “Harry Potter” will not be show in 3D. That’s a drop of only 35% from its opening-weekend take of $47.7 million and bodes well for the staying power of “Megamind” as we cruise toward Thanksgiving weekend. Abrams 2009 hit re-boot of “Star Trek” and Washington’s undeniable appeal, “Unstoppable” performed at a level above the average for the pair. The buddy comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis was No. 3 at the box office, grossing another $15.5 million. “It’s terrific,” said Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation, of the second weekend results. 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. Meanwhile, the thriller ‘Skyline’ came in at No. 4 at the weekend box office with $11.7 million.

The movie’s strongest appeal continues to be among young boys good news for DreamWorks as the next two big movies for kids, Warner Bros. latest “Harry Potter” and Disney’s “Tangled,” will be aimed at older kids and young girls, respectively. Overall, “Megamind” has taken in almost $90 million in domestic box office since its opening.

“Megamind” pulled in $7,600 per venue in approximately 3,900 locations. Internationally, the 3-D movie has taken in $27 million, with most of that from Russia. 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.

Rounding out the top five with $9.6 million is the comedy ‘Morning Glory’ from Paramount. “This was a decided No. 1 again. Roger Michell, who directed 1999′s ‘Notting Hill,’ attracted women, the date crowd and older audiences to this story set around a morning TV news show. 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. 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 $130 million CG-animated comedy starring Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, and Tina Fey got off to a slightly underwhelming $12.5 million start on Friday. But the superhero flick skyrocketed 65 percent on Saturday as parents, starved for a family film to take their tots to, stormed the local multiplex. Zach Galifianakis, left, and Robert Downey Jr. star in “Due Date”. According to Paramount, 52 percent of Megamind ‘s audience was less than 25 years old, and 66 percent of the movie’s earnings came from 3-D screens. But the overall box office hit an estimated $154 million, the best aggregate performance ever for the first weekend of November ever. Warner Bros. Todd Phillips comedy “Due Date” finished in second place with $33.5 million. Warner Bros.’ ‘Due Date’ capitalized on the unlikely comedic pairing of Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey, Jr. and thus created a match made in box office heaven with a $33.5 million debut. In this buddy road trip movie, “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips combines his twisted sense of humor with actual character development to great effect. “The Hangover’s” $45 million opening weekend surprised analysts and the film went on to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all-time. Here are some “Due Date” highlighted stats: It becomes the largest R-rated comedy for a November opening (prior: Borat, 11/3/06, $26m). Second place went to the Due Date , starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, and a horny French bulldog. Among limited openings, Fox Searchlight’s Danny Boyle-directed “127 Hours” grossed a strong $265,925 in four theaters, with the R-rated biopic about self-amputating adventurer Aron Ralston, which stars James Franco, averaging about $66,000 per screen. In the wake of his victory, Megamind must decide how to respond to the arrival of a new, rival villain. As expected, the Will Ferrell -, Brad Pitt – and Tina Fey -voiced Megamind led the standings, with a $47.7 million estimated gross. (Got a quibble that the 3-D toon didn’t break $50 mil? That’s lower than usual for the director, but still a very respectable opening, especially when considering that the film is Perry’s first to be rated R.

The mature mercenaries of “Red” continued to hold down a top-five spot. Get over it. ) Due Date , the Robert Downey Jr .- Zach Galifianakis road-trip comedy, was a super-sized second, with a $33.5 million take that put it half-way home to its $65 million budget. For Colored Girls played a bit older than normal for Perry’s movies, with 87 percent of the audience more than 25 years old. Boasting sharp performances from screen veterans Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich, the film’s $8.9 million take bumped its total to about $72 million. The serious drama, with its all-star female ensemble including Kimberly Elise, Whoopi Goldberg, Thandie Newton, Kerry Washington, and Janet Jackson, had no trouble attracting Perry’s most supportive fanbase — African-American women. Overall, the box office earned an estimated $157 million this weekend, breaking the 2003 record of $153 million for the first frame of November. Check back next weekend as another trio of films invades theaters — the alien thriller Skyline , the comedy Morning Glory , and the runaway-train action film Unstoppable . 1.

After seven films in seven years and nearly $750 million in worldwide box office, “Saw” is ending with neither a whimper nor a bang. “Saw 3D,” advertised as the final installment in the pioneering horror-torture series, opened to $24.2 million this weekend, according to an estimate from distributor Lionsgate. – Moviegoers were kind (or bloodthirsty) enough to provide the “Saw” franchise one last hurrah. That’s significantly better than the $14.1-million arrival of last year’s box-office disappointment “Saw VI.” However, it’s also well below the $30 million to $34 million collected by “Saw” two through five on their first weekends, even though those movies did not enjoy the benefit of 3-D ticket price surcharges. Here are the top movie ticket sales Friday through Sunday, with estimated weekend receipts, and total receipts since the movie opened. With the Halloween weekend upon us, it only make sense that Saw 3D , the seventh chapter in the popular horror franchise, would open at the top spot and bump last week’s number one to second place. In three of the six previous Halloween periods, this Home Depot handyman horror series slashed its way to No. 1. Nonetheless, some in Hollywood predicted that this would be a close race between it and “Paranormal Activity 2,” which ended up dropping 59% on its second weekend in theaters to $16.5 million. Last year, the first “Paranormal Activity” expanded nationwide on the same weekend “Saw VI” opened and won the weekend in a surprise victory. “I tried once to watch Paranormal Activity 1 alone because I had a different version of it – a new cut,” she explains. It topped the weekend box office in North American theaters, according to early studio estimates, with a crimson $22.5 million, and relegated last weekend’s subtler horror foray, Paranormal Activity 2 , to second place.

A similar outcome this year would have been embarrassing for Lionsgate. According to the studio, 92 percent of “Saw 3D’s” earnings came from 3D screens, and 57 percent of the audience was younger than 25. “And I said, ‘Oh, I want to see what they changed.’ And I put it in and got to the first knife scene and had to turn it off. CinemaScore audiences gave the flick a mediocre “B-” grade. “Saw 3D” will almost certainly tumble next weekend, but that’s been a common occurrence for the series a series that, when all is said and done, will be buried with a domestic total of more than $400 million.

Now in just two weeks the movie has made $65 million, which far surpasses its $3 million production budget earning a profit of roughly $62 million.

Yes, adult-themed films can also be hits; the season’s top grossers after Jackass 3D are Ben Affleck’s The Town ($87.6 million) and David Fincher’s The Social Network ($79.7 million), and the alterkocker spy caper Red has done well enough ($58.9 million) that it may prove a franchise commodity for stars Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren. While the last few “Saw” movies all cost about $11 million, the new entry cost about $20 million to produce, primarily because of the new technology. While the movie dropped nearly 28.1% from last week, it was added in seventy-six theaters, earning $3,228 on each of its 3,349 screens for a weekend total of about $10.8 million. If it follows the pattern of previous “Saw” films, which disappeared quickly from theaters since most of the young audience comes on opening weekend, “3D” should end up with a domestic gross of about $50 million. It opened to $5.3 million, 30% better than the previous top performer, ” Saw III .” The only other film to make a major move in the marketplace was the Hilary Swank drama “Conviction,” which expanded from 55 to 565 theaters across the country. In limited release, the Hilary Swank drama “Conviction” expanded to 565 theaters and earned a respectable $1.8 million, enough for 10th place. Its per-theater average was lower than the first weekends of March’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” and July’s “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” based on the previous two books in the series. The adult action film “Red” and inspirational drama “Secretariat” continue to hold well.

Strong holdovers in France ($6.9 million, No. 3) and Britain ($4.5 million, No. 2) combined with a No. 2 opening in Japan ($2.7 million) and a No. 1 Belgium bow ($1.2 million). “Paranormal Activity 2″ slipped to No. 2 with $14 million, tied with “The Social Network.” Their respective totals rose to $46 million and $51 million. The weekend’s other Halloween-timed entry, “Saw 3D,” the new champ in North America, scared up a fourth-ranked $11.5 million from 25 territories. On the final weekend in Oct., every year since 2004, Jigsaw and his sadistic minions have wreaked their creative carpentry on a couple dozen screaming victims.

” Saw 3D ” has picked the best momentum for its release as it attracts the most moviegoers during Halloween weekend. In three of the six previous Halloween periods, this Home Depot handyman horror series slashed its way to No. 1. The horror thriller debuts on number one at North American Box Office with $22.5 million cume, according to studio estimates. Together, the first six brought in about $370 million domestically , according to researcher Box Office Mojo. “‘Saw 3-D’ did better than the last ‘Saw’ movie but it didn’t restore the franchise’s former glory,” said Brandon Gray , president of Sherman Oaks, California-based Box Office Mojo . “The numbers nationally weren’t terribly exciting, which is to be expected when you only have one new nationwide release.” The weekend’s top 12 films grossed $86.6 million, up 4.5 percent from the same period last year, according to Hollywood.com.

“I can not watch either of the Paranormal films alone.” Recalling a particular experience with her films, Featherston still freaks herself out. “And I said, ‘Oh, I want to see what they changed.’ And I put it in and got to the first knife scene and had to turn it off. As distressing as the success of the Saw movies may be to fretful parents, it has a tonic influence on Hollywood moguls, who rely on junky series like this to bring in big money on a small outlay. After last year, we knew we needed to infuse something into the franchise.” This seventh “Saw” film is the fourth movie in the franchise to debut at number one. I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. “Saw 3D” will almost certainly tumble next weekend, but that’s been a common occurrence for the series a series that, when all is said and done, will be buried with a domestic total of more than $400 million. Prolonging the series was simply good business, even if later installments had diminished the revenue stream and exhausted the content. The ploy worked: Saw 3D earned 92% of its weekend largesse from viewers paying extra for the goggles. The horror sequel has made $65.7 million after two weeks, a tremendous figure considering the film’s $3 million budget. But each of these films cost two or three times as much to make as any of the Jackass, Paranormal or Saw pictures. The Paramount Pictures film opened two weeks ago as the top movie in the U.S. and Canada, taking in $50 million for the debut weekend. Clint Eastwood ’s “Hereafter” fell to fifth place from fourth in its second weekend of wide release, adding $6.32 million in ticket sales for Warner Bros. Red , $10.8 million; $58.9 million, third week 4.

Hereafter , $6.3 million; $22.2 million, third week 6. Secretariat , $5 million; $44.8 million, fourth week 7. Fifth overall, on the strength of its $9.4 million haul in France, was “Les Petits Mouchoirs” (Little White Lies), a homegrown variation of “The Big Chill.” Elsewhere, “Megamind” opened at No. 1 in piracy-prone Russia and Ukraine, tallying a $7.3 million total. “Jackass 3D” outgrossed its rivals in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, nabbing a total of $4.2 million from six markets.

- Moviegoers were kind (or bloodthirsty) enough to provide the “Saw” franchise one last hurrah. That’s up from the last Saw movie, “Saw VI,” which opened to a dull $14.1 million a year ago. Tweet Digg When teens go to Halloween movies, they’re looking for tricks, not treats, and the Saw series has delivered. Thursday Daily Box Office Rally First Place – Paramount’s ‘Paranormal Activity 2′ – A bigger-than-expected weekend debut of $40.7 million allowed this horror franchise to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. A solid Thursday gross of $1.98 brings the domestic total after just seven days to $49.1 million. The IMAX experience contributed a strong $2.5 million to the opening weekend total.

On the final weekend in Oct., every year since 2004, Jigsaw and his sadistic minions have wreaked their creative carpentry on a couple dozen screaming victims. With people going to parties and kids out trick or treating, Halloween is usually a dead zone for theaters. Second Place – Paramount’s ‘Jackass 3D’ – The ‘Jackass’ crew continues to cough up strong numbers with a Thursday gross of $1.36 million. In three of the six previous Halloween periods, this Home Depot handyman horror series slashed its way to No. 1. Never mind the 3-D surcharges that helped get it there, or that it dropped 60 percent this weekend — in only its third week in release, Jackass 3D has crossed the $100 million mark in domestic grosses. The film has now earned $93.1 million after just fourteen days of release and should cross the $100 million mark this weekend. Johnny Knoxville and company have elevated gross-out humor to high art and now to high finance!

According to the studio, 92 percent of “Saw 3D’s” earnings came from 3D screens, and 57 percent of the audience was younger than 25. Now, for the promised finale of the franchise, Saw 3D made it four out of seven. CinemaScore audiences gave the flick a mediocre “B-” grade.

Let’s pause and let that really wash over you: In just three months, movie tickets shot up twice as much as they usually do in an entire year. We put the thumbscrews to Greutert, until he agreed to recommend five frightening movies to watch this Halloween weekend. Last weekend’s champ, Paranormal Activity 2, dropped 59.4% percent from its genre record-setting opening weekend to an estimated $16.5 million for a ten-day total of approximately $67 million. The horror sequel has made $65.7 million after two weeks, a tremendous figure considering the film’s $3 million budget. Following a $40.6 million opening for the sequel last weekend, “Paranormal Activity” has established itself as the pre-eminent horror franchise of the moment. But before that happens, Paramount’s chiller should finish its domestic run with approximately $85-90 million in sales. It grossed only $45,000 from 10 sites. Check back next weekend as three new films the Robert Downey Jr. comedy “Due Date,” Tyler Perry’s drama “For Colored Girls” and DreamWorks’ animated ” “Megamind” will battle for your money.

With a slew of movie debuts on Friday, the rom-com “Life As We Know It” won over audiences. Starring Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl as friends who adopt their late pal’s tot, the movie made an estimated $5.3 million during its first day on screens. The Facebook-themed drama “The Social Network” slipped to second place after opening in the top spot last week. Craven’s 3-D enhanced screamfest entered the Friday top five in fourth place with roughly $2.7 million. The movie hauled in nearly $1.9 million on Friday, which bumps the film’s overall gross to just over $69 million.

Check out everything we’ve got on “Life as We Know It,” “The Social Network,” and “Secretariat.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Last weekend’s number one film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” dropped 47% to land in third with $10.1 million and a total domestic gross to date of $35.9 million. Oscar buzz could build for star Michael Douglas who gave his newly re-booted Gordon Gekko a healthy infusion of pathos and introspection. Another strong hold for Sony’s “Easy A” keeps it in the top five curriculum in its third week against a freshman-sized 34% drop and an even $7 million for the weekend and $42.4 million for this profit-making teen comedy. Great word-of-mouth continues to bolster the long term prospects for the Emma Stone starring vehicle. Nathaniel Hawthorne would be proud. A curious box-office creature, Sony’s “The Social Network” appears more tortoise than hare. Now, I have been dying to see this movie since I heard of its existence.

Like Justin Timberlake says, “This is our time!” I, personally, feel like a movie like this that defines OUR generation of super fast, I’m-invincible, internet-life-sharing, thinking hipsters should have been made a few years ago.

But as things turned out, opening audiences for “Social” were comprised 53% of females, with 55% of patrons aged 25 or older. Rounding out the top five was low-budget comedy “Easy A” with $7 million. “It’s playing very broadly, and this is a terrific start,” Sony distribution president Rory Bruer said. According to Sony exit surveys, women made up 53% of the audience, 55% of which were 25 and older. The film earned a B-plus, according to audience pollsters CinemaScore. The Owl movie fell only 33 percent for a haul of $10.9 million, raising its cume to $30 million. The Town continues to impress. Fox’s Michael Douglas starrer “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” declined 47% to fetch $10.1 million in third place in its second weekend with a $35.9 million cume, while the Warners/Legendary heist thriller “The Town” finished fourth with $10 million and a $64.3 million cume through three frames.

Falling only 34 percent its third weekend in theaters, the Emma Stone-starrer grossed an estimated $7 million for a new cume of $42.4 million. In a limited bow, MPI/Vitagraph’s unrated horror pic “Hatchet II” grossed $68,000 from 68 playdates for a bloodless $912 per engagement. Fox Searchlight’s dramatic thriller “Never Let Me Go” starring “Social’s” Garfield and “Money’s” Carey Mulligan added 17 theaters for a total 43 to ring up $188,497. The first five minutes is the most awkward, as it should be. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I saw a bit of myself in Mark and his CONSTANT blogging. Final figures are due Monday. Top 10 Movies – Weekend of October 1, 2010 (Estimates) Movie Weekend Total 1 The Social Network (PG-13) $23.0 M $23.0 M. 2 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole $10.9 M $30.0 M. 3 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (PG-13) $10.1 M $35.9 M. 4 The Town (R) $10.0 M $64.3 M. 5 Easy A (PG-13) $7.0 M $42.4 M. 6 You Again $5.5 M $16.4 M. 7 Case 39 (R) $5.4 M $5.4 M. 8 Let Me In (R) $5.3 M $5.3 M. 9 Devil (PG-13) $3.7 M $27.4 M. 10 Alpha and Omega $3.0 M $19.0 M.

The Box-Office Top Five. #1 “The Town” ($8.4 million) #2 “Easy A” ($6.8 million) #3 “Devil” ($4.9 million) #4 “Resident Evil: Afterlife” ($3 million) #5 “Alpha and Omega” ($2.3 million) Ben Affleck’s bank-robbing thriller “The Town” grabbed the box-office crown Friday night. The film, which takes audiences to the smash-and-grab underworld of director and star Affleck’s hometown of Boston, and features Blake Lively, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Hall, topped the end-of-the-work-week box office with an estimated $8.4 million. It doesn’t look like it will be an easy victory for Sony at the domestic box office after all. Gripping and moving at the same time, “The Town” is a solid heist movie whose fleshed-out characters give the story the weight it requires to be more than just a caper film. The mind-bending thriller “Devil,” which features the creative touch of filmmaker M. As a caption reminds us, Boston’s Charlestown has more armed robbers per square foot than anyplace in America, and this is one of their stories (sorry, Realtors). Now you can win an awesome “The Town” prize pack!

Night Shyamalan , opened in third place. The action kicks off with a tautly shot bank robbery featuring terrified bank workers and heavily armed thieves in Skeletor masks and black hoods. They release her unharmed, but Doug’s excitable partner Jem ( Jeremy Renner ), is afraid she’ll somehow implicate them to the FBI. However, Sony’s Screen Gems unit paid only $8 million to produce the high-school-themed romantic comedy, and had itself predicted an opening somewhere in the mid-teens. So post-robbery and sans disguise, he maneuvers himself into a position to ask her out.——————- MORE REVIEWS. Milla Jovovich’s latest clash with the undead claimed $3 million at the Friday box office, nudging the total cume of the sci-fi franchise’s hit to nearly $37 million. List of Extra’s Giveaways!Win ‘Skins: Volume 3′ on DVD!

“Alpha & Omega” opened in fifth was only $2.6 million and a hopeful $8 million estimate for the full weekend. That’s somewhat scary considering the higher 3-D ticket prices tied to the critically lambasted animated flick. But seriously, this looks like one of the better high school movies to come around in the last few years. Jem’s family, such as it was, took Doug in as a child after his mother left and his father got pinched. Jem is like a brother to Doug, but he’s a loose cannon, eager to hand out “tune-ups” and gunshots. When Doug later gets involved with Claire without telling her who he really is, the lies spawn more lies and threaten to blow up in his face. At the same time, Fergie is demanding more and more daring heists.

Don’t run immediately, Shyamalan didn’t direct “Devil,” he just produced and wrote it. Among holdovers, last week’s box office champ, “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” dropped a big 72 percent, finishing in fourth place with $3 million. MacRay is in an untenable position. The FBI is getting closer, even as his relationship with Claire is heating up. She unexpectedly stumbles upon the perfect guy, the too-good-to-be-true and incredibly handsome Spencer Aimes (Kutcher). Yet he sees her as a source of his own salvation, though he knows he can’t keep the truth from her forever. As the gorgeous, drug-addicted barfly, Lively throws Serena van der Woodsen under the bus and brings enough heat to set the trash on fire. Local hip-hop artist-actor Slaine is also very good as the crew’s loyal driver. For style-forward multi-taskers, Jawbone ICON — the world’s first intelligent headset — is a fashionable and functional accent piece.

Rounding out the top five is the kid-friendly adventure “Alpha and Omega,” which features voice-over contributions from stars like Christina Ricci, Danny Glover and the late screen legend Dennis Hopper . Check out everything we’ve got on “The Town,” “Easy A” and “Devil” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Four movies in, there’s no sign of franchise fatigue for “Resident Evil.” The newest big-screen adaptation of the hit horror video-game series, titled “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” opened to $27.7 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, according to an estimate from distributor Sony Pictures. It was the first film in the franchise made in 3-D. Sony Screen Gems’ sci-fi fright fest “Resident Evil: Afterlife” managed to scare up an impressive weekend opening, ringing up $27.7 million. The new champ, the only major new release during the traditionally slow weekend following the Labor Day holiday, sold $27.7 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada, a record for the series. Total receipts for all films were the lowest for any weekend so far this year, according to Hollywood.com. It’s the fourth “Resident Evil” film, all of which have starred Milla Jovovich. It’s the biggest movie in the franchise,” she told us, while hosting the Mercedes-Benz Tea Party at Lincoln, the new restaurant at Lincoln Center. “So we’re definitely going to make another one,” she said, adding that director Paul W.S.

Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete” rung up $4.2 million for the third spot, and the Drew Barrymore-starrer “Going the Distance” rounded out the weekend’s top 5 with $3.8 million. Anderson, her husband, already has some ideas for the fifth Resident Evil installment, and this time he wants the audiences’ ideas, too. “We’ve been talking to a lot of fans on Twitter and stuff, so it’s probably going to be one of the first movies where we really talk to fans to see what they want, and what characters they want to see. George Clooney’s spy flick “The American” fell from its top spot to land in third place with earnings of 5.9 million dollars. “Afterlife” opened in 29 foreign markets this weekend and collected about 2 1/2 times as much as “Extinction” in the same countries. It’s grossed $14 million total over ten days. “Afterlife” is on track not only to continue that trend, but also to build on it. The Last Exorcism fell to seventh, sinking another 53 percent with $3.5 million and $38.2 million total. This ranks as the lowest total since the September 5-7 weekend of 2008, when the top 12 pulled in just $50 million. The controversial “I’m Still Here,” about Joaquin Phoenix’s attempt to transition from acting to rapping, didn’t make much of a dent at the box office despite broad discussion in the media about whether the Casey Affleck-directed picture was a real documentary or performance art. Playing in 20 theaters in 18 cities, it collected only $98,000, or a relatively soft $4,900 per location. Ben Fritz.

“The American,” in which Clooney plays a laconic gunslinger holed up in a picturesque Italian village, earned $16.4 million across the United States and Canada during the four days beginning September 3, distributor Focus Features said on Monday. “Machete,” a violent fantasy starring character actor Danny Trejo as a Mexican hitman with a penchant for sharp objects, came in at No. 2 with $14.0 million, said 20th Century Fox. Both studios said they were happy with the openings, which exceeded modest expectations, even if the movies are not destined for box office greatness. Despite a shocking “D-” CinemaScore indicating near-toxic word-of-mouth, The American rose to the top of the Labor Day weekend box office largely on star George Clooney’s handsome shoulders, making $16.4 million over the four-day holiday and $19.5 million since its Wednesday debut, according to early estimates. The assassin-themed thriller rang up $19.5 million in its first six days, after unspooling midweek to get a jump on the four-day frame. Since opening Wednesday, the Focus Features release has taken in $19.5 million. Clooney’s movies, for example, usually end up in the $30 million to $40 million range, and Focus doubted the new one would buck that trend. The final (estimated) results from the four-day, Labor Day box-office weekend: • Clooney’s The American ($13.1 million Friday-Sunday; $16.4 million Friday-Monday) needed the grown-up vote to win—and it got it. Audiences, evenly split between men and women, were markedly outside the usual multiplex whippersnapper demographic, too: 55 percent were 50-years-old and older. Nearly 90 percent of the opening-weekend audience was age 25 or older. “Takers” followed with $13.5 million, though the two movies were close enough that rankings could change once final numbers are released Tuesday. Both “Machete” and “Going the Distance” opened on Friday, while “The American” got a two-day head start and has earned $19.5 million to date.

In reality, they walked into an austere character study focused on a dour Clooney, à la the esoteric European art films of the 1970s. (My mother, who liked the movie, put it this way: “The plot…well, there is no plot.”) Regardless of why audiences have soured on the film, the negative feedback doesn’t exactly bode well for its financial longevity. The weekend’s other new wide release, Drew Barrymore’s romance “Going the Distance” from Warner Bros., opened at No. 5 with $8.6 million. Labor Day is marked annually on the first Monday of September, both in the U.S. and Canada. It was a typically quiet Labor Day period for Hollywood, a transition weekend as summer blockbuster season ends and young audiences prepare for the start of the school year.

In fourth place, The Last Exorcist plunged 64 percent in its second weekend, which is about right for a horror film with a polarizing final act . The average ticket price for all movies was $7.88, according to Hollywood.com Box-Office.

Sales are expected to remain weak for the next few weeks as the studios dump their under-performers so that they can focus on prestige pictures catering to awards voters and on holiday-season crowd-pleasers.

Tell us what you think. For more information, access the complete chart on boxofficemojo.com . 1. But Focus Features’ George Clooney starrer “The American” was close behind at the start of the holiday-stretched weekend – the summer box office season’s final session collecting $3.8 million on Friday. The atmospheric, assassin-themed thriller totes $7 million in cumulative box office since bowing Wednesday ahead of the long holiday weekend. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside. Hot on its heels, though, is the weekend’s other solid debut, the exploitation revenge thriller ” Machete ,” which banked $11.3 million for the three-day weekend en route to a likely $14 million four-day total. In fourth place, ” The Last Exorcism ” made roughly $7.5 million for the three-day holiday, and should close in on $9 million through Labor Day, which would put its total near $34 million. The $20 million film will easily make its money back and will likely end up as a trilogy. The weekend’s third R-rated wide opener Warner Bros.’ romantic comedy “Going the Distance,” starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long rang up $2.3 million in fifth place.

“The Last Exorcism” continued to bring in the money with another $7.6 million this weekend for a total of $32.4 million, which was good enough for fourth spot.

Last weekend’s No. 1 film Sony Screen Gems’ crime thriller “Takers” took in $3 million in third place on Friday for $29.5 million in cumulative box office through its first eight days in release. Check back here tomorrow for the full Box Office Report, including my mea culpa for a truly awful attempt at predicting this weekend’s box office winners. However, five movies this summer have managed to gross more than $600 million each worldwide, and that includes Toy Story 3 ‘s impressive one billion total. It happens in January and February and it also happens in September, where studios release films that aren’t aiming for blockbuster status or have to compete against awards hopefuls. This year, three different films were targeting three very different audiences, and last week’s big releases Takers and The Last Exorcism weren’t going down without a fight. But upon arriving at the already blood drenched family farm, it is soon clear that nothing could have prepared him for the true evil he encounters there. While we initially pegged The Last Exorcism as the winner last week, it was actually Takers once the actual numbers came in. Machete and its $11 million opening neither makes it a hit nor a flop. However it was marketed heavily; I can’t begin to count how many different TV spots I saw during college football games on Saturday.

The Box-Office Top Five #1 “The Expendables” ($16.5 million) #2 “Vampires Suck” ($12.2 million) #3 “Eat Pray Love” ($12 million) #4 “Lottery Ticket” ($11.1 million) #5 “The Other Guys” ($10.1 million) Goofy vampires, lucky lottery winners, killer piranhas, quirky nannies and generous sperm donors all failed to capture box-office gold over the weekend thanks to the staying power of a pack of old action heroes who are apparently not past their prime. Actor, director and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables” remains the top dog at the box office, emerging from its second straight weekend victory with $16.5 million to its name. When it comes to people of a certain age, Hollywood has a certain reputation. “The Expendables” remains number one at the North American box office. Older screenwriters say they can’t get jobs, leading parts for actresses start vanishing once they turn 35 and the studios have all but abandoned adult dramas . Given the film’s success, Stallone and his heavily muscled compadres are already thinking about story ideas for an “Expendables” sequel. Which makes the continued success of “The Expendables” all the more remarkable. ” The Expendables ” did enough business to stay in first place, with $16.5 million, more than enough to outdo all five of the new wide releases that opened in theaters last week. Other than the intriguing storyline, the movie has quite a compilation of popular faces. The comedy pulled in 12-point-two-million dollars in its opening weekend. Remember when I suggested last week that not buying tickets for crummy parodies like ” Vampires Suck ” is the only way to prevent them from being made? “It’s clear there’s a public appetite for good action.” Enough to warrant a sequel? “It delivers, and the exit polls are great.” Lionsgate opened the film in the United Kingdom last weekend, where it grossed about $5.7 million to finish first.

“Lottery Ticket,” a new release, took the fourth spot on the box office chart.

It doesn’t hurt that hottie Jason Statham, who was recently shirtless on the cover of Men’s Health, is splashed across the movie. Most of the support from the movie came from young moviegoers; according to Box Office Mojo , 72 percent of the audience was under 21. Rounding out the top five was “The Other Guys.” The buddy comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg pulled in ten-point-one-million dollars, bringing its cumulative total to 88-point-two-million dollars. “Piranha 3D” finished in sixth despite the ticket surcharge at stereoscopic theaters, seventh-place “Nanny McPhee Returns” grossed barely half as much in its first weekend as its predecessor film did four years ago and Jennifer Aniston ‘s “The Switch” barely cracked the Top 10, finishing eighth.

The Expendables – 16-point-five-million dollars 2. Do you agree with the hype? Once final numbers come in Monday, we’ll see if the vampires definitively squeaked out a win over Julia Roberts. The movie got an unusual boost from males, who usually thumb their noses at vampire flicks but made up 45% of the audience this weekend. Vampires Suck – 12-point-two-million dollars 3. “That was a great surprise,” says Bert Livingston of 20th Century Fox , which released Vampires . Piranha 3D – ten-million dollars 7.

“That was the key,” Fox Senior Vice President Bert Livingston said of the teenage male turnout. To be fair, as critic Ann Hornaday pointed out in her review , “The Switch” focuses more on Bateman than it does on Aniston (although the marketing campaign doesn’t exactly suggest that). The Switch – eight-point-one-million dollars 9. “When you gross in the first five days what it costs to make the picture, it’s a great success,” Livingston said. Whatever the reason, after “Love Happens,” “The Bounty Hunter” and now this less-than-stellar box office performance on her record, Aniston really needs her next movie to be a hit. (That next movie happens to be the Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go With It.” So, um, presumably she’ll be fine.) Despite its presence over the weekend as a trending Twitter topic, ” Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ” didn’t raise its profile at the box office. “Takers” and “The Last Exorcism” could give “The Expendables” some trouble, but the “Avatar: Special Edition” re-release could pose even greater problems for every competitor at the box office next weekend.

Check out everything we’ve got on “The Expendables” and “Vampires Suck.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

The Box-Office Top Five. #1 “The Other Guys” ($35.6 million) #2 “Inception” ($18.6 million) #3 “Step Up 3-D” ($15.5 million) #4 “Salt” ($11.1 million) #5 “Dinner for Schmucks” ($10.5 million) The dream is over, as Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is no longer the reigning champion at the weekend domestic box office — that distinction now belongs to “The Other Guys.” Starring an A-List crew of comedians and action stars including Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “The Other Guys” easily took first place in its first weekend in theaters with a $35.6 million debut, marking yet another successful endeavor from frequent collaborators Ferrell and director Adam McKay. Inception has topped the weekend box office for so long that we were starting to wonder if anything could beat it. Will Ferrell ‘s funny bone is back in top form at the box office this weekend. Additionally, the strong debut for “The Other Guys” demonstrates that both Ferrell and Wahlberg still have major box-office appeal, a notion that was somewhat questionable after the disappointing performances of Ferrell’s most recent “Land of the Lost” and Wahlberg’s “Max Payne.” Despite slipping from the top spot for the first time since its debut, the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring “Inception” remained a strong contender at the box office this weekend, settling for second place with $18.6 million. Allaying fears that last year’s flop “Land of the Lost” signaled a decline in audience interest for his movies, buddy comedy “The Other Guys,” in which Ferrell costars with Mark Wahlberg , opened to a solid $35.6 million, according to studio estimates. The buddy-cop parody, also starring Mark Wahlberg, made 35.6 million dollars in its opening weekend, according to Sunday estimates from Sony Pictures. Ferrell’s last movie, 2009’s “Land of the Lost” bombed big time.

” The Other Guys ” earned an estimated $35.6 million, marking Ferrell’s second-highest grossing opener ever and the first film to knock ” Inception ” out of the top spot. A film has come along and surpassed Inception and its tricksy time structures, impeccable direction and impressive refusal to pander to its audience. But what incredible, Inception -topping masterpiece is this? The film marked Wahlberg’s best opening since 2001’s “Planet of the Apes.” which scored $68.5 million in its debut weekend. And the two films together couldn’t top the weekend box office tally one year ago this week, when “G.I. Admittedly we’ve just described every film that Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg have ever starred in, but shut up. And their first film together, Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, opened in second place in July 2004 with 28.4 million. It fell short only of Ferrell’s 2006 NASCAR comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” which opened to $47 million.

Inception, which had been the top film in the country the past three weeks, fell to No 2 with 18.6 million. If the well-reviewed “Other Guys” performs similarly to the star’s past comedies, it should end up with a little more than $100 million at the domestic box office, a good number given that it cost distributor Sony Pictures around $85 million to produce. No, not that Will Ferrell film. However, audiences, which tilted young and male, seemed lukewarm on the movie. Upcoming Releases Rock music, romance and video game references collide when comic book adaptation “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” arrives in theaters next weekend alongside Sylvester Stallone’s action extravaganza, “The Expendables.” The two geek-baiting films debut against the considerably less violent “Eat Pray Love,” starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Other Guys,” “Inception” and “Dinner for Schmucks.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

While I was hunting for backstage pass photos and I discovered this incredible photo: Day 15. Coffin’s Contents!
I hope that you like Thijs / Dixie’s photo of backstage pass as much as I do.

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Bonux wants to blur the lines between smartphones and Home Theater PCs

There’s a rumor going around that the next-generation Apple TV will basically be a $99 iPod touch without a display which you can plug into your TV to watch iTunes, web video, and other content. But it looks like Apple isn’t the only company that’s decided the best way to play downloaded and online video on a big screen TV is to plug in a smartphone-like device.

Engadget spotted an intriguing little box from a company called Bonux at Comptuex this week. Basically, it’s a set top box running Google Android with support for a wide range of video formats. The user interface hasn’t been customized for TV screens at all. Basically what you see on a 40 inch screen is what you would see on your 3.7 inch phone screen.

But the advantage of using Android as opposed to, say, Windows or a full blown Linux distribution running MythTV, Boxee, or another media center app is that you can run Android on some pretty seriously low power hardware. All you need is an ARM-based processor with high performance video capabilities, maybe a hard drive or solid state disk, and you’re good to go. And that means your set top box can be the size of a deck of cards.

On the other hand, Bonux doesn’t expect to bring their product to market until later this year, and by the time it hits the street the company may have some competition from Sony, Logitech, and other companies working on devices based on the new Google TV platform which is actually optimized for the big screen experience. Oh yeah, plus Google TV will be able to handle Android apps. So tell me again why anyone would want a Bonux box?

You can find more photos and a hands-on video at Engadget.