Jaimie Trueblood/Sony PicturesIn one corner: A low-budget thriller with a Gossip Girl. In the other corner: James Freakin' Cameron.
As you might suspect, this box-office bout wasn't even close. As you might not suspect, the winner was…
…Leighton Freakin' Meester.
The $16 million The Roommate scooped up a relatively impressive $15.6 million, per estimates, to top a Super Bowl-sapped weekend. The Cameron-produced (and -promoted) 3-D flick, Sanctum, came away with just $9.2 million.
Elsewhere, Natalie Portman continued to personally dominate the Top 10, with No Strings Attached and Black Swan, while The King's Speech—no lie—closed in on The Green Hornet. (The "little" Oscar film is at $84.1 million overall domestically; the would-be blockbuster is at $87.2 million.)
Exiting the Top 10: The much-maligned Yogi Bear, which hung on for seven weekends, and managed to produce a $95.5 million take (off an $80 million budget); and, the critically acclaimed The Fighter, which also lasted seven weekends, and has grossed $82.5 million domestically (off a $25 million budget).
Looking ahead, Justin Bieber arrives on Friday, in the documentary form of Never Say Never, to save Hollywood.
Here's the rundown of the top-grossing films, per Friday-Sunday numbers as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
- The Roommate, $15.6 million
- Sanctum, $9.2 million
- No Strings Attached, $8.4 million
- The King's Speech, $8.3 million
- The Green Hornet, $6.1 million
- The Rite, $5.6 million
- The Mechanic, $5.4 million
- True Grit, $4.8 million
- The Dilemma, $3.45 million
- Black Swan, $3.4 million