WEEKLY BOX OFFICE WRAP 1/14-1/16/2011

We have a new winner for number one! THE GREEN HORNET! THE GREEN HORNET drove The Black Beauty straight to the top with a whopping $33,526,876 in 3,584 theaters with the second highest per theater average of $9,355 in the first week of release from Sony. (And you will never guess which film had the highest, but you will find out.)

THE GREEN HORNET threw TRUE GRIT off the number one saddle and moved it to number three. Universal’s release of THE DILEMMA drove right into the number two slot putting LITTLE FOCKERS into the corner in number six. Last week’s number three, SEASON OF THE WITCH, flew down to number ten in the short lived top three position.

TRON:LEGACY is still hanging on to it’s light cycle at the number seven slot after being out for five weeks now. Films that fell out of the top ten are TANGLED and COUNTRY STRONG. THE KING’S SPEECH just keeps moving up the top ten monarchy, and deservedly so, especially after Colin Firth’s Golden Globe win. THE KING’S SPEECH is now up to the number four position all the way from number nine.

And now for the new releases for the weekend.

The surprising number one per theater average was Sony Classic’s BARNEY’S VERSION in only four theaters with a huge $16,310 each. Perhaps due to the Golden Globe win of Mr.Paul Giamatti? Yamla Pagla Deewana, directed by Samir Karnik, is a Bollywood drama of a father-son journey that produced $504,116 in 84 theaters with an average $6,001 each. THE HEART SPECIALIST, actually filmed in 2006, written and directed by Dennis Cooper and stars Zoe Saldana, was released on the 14th by Freestyle Releasing. Showing in 422theaters, it pumped in $473,062 with an average $1,121 each. Magnolia Pictures released the third installment of the series as ONG BAK 3 in 3 theaters making $5,648 with an average $1.883 each. A 2011 re-issue of the 1925 BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein, was only released in one theater, but made $5,641.

Finally, the 2009 PLASTIC PLANET by First Run, a documentary directed by Werner Boote, guides the audience on the dangers of plastic to our world. Unfortunately, it was only released in one theater as well with a disparaging $740 take.