We’re now well into January, the dumping ground for studios to release mediocre films against little competition, and the Catholic horror film The Rite managed to take the top prize with $15 million at the box office. The other new release, the Jason Statham-actioner The Mechanic, came in at number 3 with 11.5 million. The Oscar nominations gave healthy bumps to Best Pic nominees The King’s Speech and True Grit.
Next week’s crop of new releases doesn’t look to be much more exciting than this week with the Single White Female-for-the-college crowd (The Roommate) and the James Cameron-produced 3D-thriller Sanctum.
1. The Rite $15,005,000 (new)
2. No Strings Attached $13,650,000 ($39,742,000)
3. The Mechanic $11,500,000 (new)
4. The Green Hornet $11,500,000 ( $78,800,000)
5. The King’s Speech $11,102,000 ($72,217,000)
6. True Grit $7,600,000 ($148,388,000)
7. The Dilemma $5,476,000 ($40,634,000)
8. Black Swan $5,100,000 ($90,704,000)
9. The Fighter $4,055,000 ($78,373,000)
10. Yogi Bear $3,165,000 ($92,507,000)
What did you see this weekend? What new releases are you looking forward to this season?