Finally! I can have a new picture for the top movie. My last 3 blogs were about Marley & Me coming out on top and, this weekend, it fell to number four amongst 2 new releases and an expanded wide release.
GRAN TORINO ($29,025,000)
Clint Eastwood's second directed movie of the year, Gran Torino, cleaned up huge after expanding wide. It may not have mustered anything at the Golden Globes, but at least it's a bonified success story at the box office. Accumulating around $11 million in it's limited "award-qualifying" run, Torino tacked on another $29,025,000, enough to take the number one spot.
BRIDE WARS ($21,500,000)
The Anne Hathaway/Kate Hudson comedy mustered up a relatively healthy $21.5 million, enough to help dethrone Marley, but not enough for Eastwood's gun, nor was it enough to equal Marley's opening weekend ($37 mil) or even it's second weekend ($24.05 mil). Wars' equally low budget should insure that ie becomes a profit maker for distributor 20th Century Fox (also Marley's distributor).
THE UNBORN ($21,095,000)
The missing sibling horror thriller had a decent take, which should bode well for upcoming horror movies The Uninvited, Friday the 13th and My Bloody Valentine 3D. The Unborn also had the second highest per theater average ($8,950) in the top 10 behind Torino ($10,337).
NOT EASILY BROKEN ($5,600,000)
$5.6 million is not bad for a $5 million budgeted movie opening on only 724 screens. The Morris Chestnutt starring vehicle is posied to open wide to decent numbers and should at least triple it's budget by the end of it's run, if not more.
The rest of the top 10 were as follows:
| TW | LW | Title (click to read review) | Weekend Gross | Total Gross |
| 1 | 14 | Gran Torino | $29,025,000 | $40,065,000 |
| 2 | N | Bride Wars | $21,500,000 | $21,500,000 |
| 3 | N | The Unborn | $21,095,000 | $21,095,000 |
| 4 | 1 | Marley & Me | $11,350,000 | $123,710,000 |
| 5 | 3 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | $9,450,000 | $94,330,000 |
| 6 | 2 | Bedtime Stories | $8,550,000 | $97,180,000 |
| 7 | 4 | Valkyrie | $6,662,000 | $71,509,000 |
| 8 | 5 | Yes Man | $6,155,000 | $89,410,000 |
| 9 | N | Not Easily Broken | $5,600,000 | $5,600,000 |
| 10 | 6 | Seven Pounds | $3,900,000 | $66,830,000 |
Source: Box Office Mojo