By Chris Kavan - 02/06/11 at 11:38 PM CT
If you weren't amongst the great unwashed masses who watched Green Bay beat down the Steelers for Super Bowl supremacy, then perhaps you did catch a movie over the weekend.
In a typically slow weekend thanks to football's top game of the year, the horror not-quite-Single White Female-remake The Roommate managed to care up the most at the box office. The $15.6 million must look pretty good for a film that only cost $16 million to make. It wasn't quite on par with When a Stranger Calls, which had $21.6 million, but I'm guessing there won't be too much complaining.
The same can't be said for Sanctum. Even though it had the full backing of James Cameron, and 3D, behind it - it could only manage a $9.2 million second place showing. Of that amount, 84% came from 3D screens but even that couldn't save it from being a deep-diving dud.
In third place, and only dropping a respectable 37%, was the romantic comedy No Strings with $8.4. The film has now passed the $50 million mark (at $51.8 million total) and is a bright spot for the beleaguered genre.
The King's Speech kept its train a rollin' moving in 4th place with only a 25% drop. The $8.3 million showing and $84.1 million total may move it ever closer to Oscar gold. Other Oscar hopefuls also continue to hold well. With True Grit in 8th place and Black Swan holding on the 10th spot - and falling only 37% and 34% respectively. True Grit now stands at $155 million while Black Swan is at $95.9 million and should break $100 million before closing out.
Taking a bit hit from last weekend was The Rite, which took a huge 62% hit and wound up in 6th place with $5.5 million and a $23.7 million total. I expect The Roommate will share a similar fate come next weekend as horror genre films typically get hit hard the second week around.
Next week Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston try to keep the romantic comedy afloat with Just Go With It, Justin Bieber will try to corrupt the youth of American with the concert documentary Never Say Never, animation returns with Gnomeo & Juliet and historians will no doubt be able to count the many inaccuracies associated with The Eagle. We'll see if any film can be a true break out in a slow season.
