"The Rite" Takes In $15M At The Box Office

Despite getting negative reviews across the board, Anthony Hopkins’ new film “The Rite” shot to number 1 with a three day total of $15 million.

Despite getting negative reviews across the board, “The Rite” shot to number 1 with a three day total of $15 million. The thriller stars Anthony Hopkins as an American priest who travels to Italy to study at an exorcism school. The film was directed by Mikael Håfström, who also directed 2007’s “1408” starring John Cusack.

Bumping to second place, was last week’s #1, “No Strings Attached” starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman.  In its second week, the comedy made $13.7 million and has earned $39.7 million in ten days.  The film has been a moderate success at the box office, taking back its $25,000,000 budget.

Coming in third place is Jason Statham’s action thriller, “The Mechanic.” The film made $11,500,000 during the weekend, opening well above expectations. The thriller stars Statham as a hit man who teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims. The film was directed by Simon West, who recently directed the pilot for NBC’s “The Cape” as well as FOX’s “Human Target” and was distributed by Millennium Films.

Colin Firth’s “The King’s Speech” came in fourth place with $11,100,000, earning a combined $72.2 million. The film has earned 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), and Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush).

Another Oscar nominated film, “True Grit” rounded out the top 5 earning $7,600,000 and collecting a total of $148.3 million. The western also has been nominated 10 Oscars including:  Best Picture, Best Director (Jeff and Ethan Cohen), Best Actor (Jeff Bridges), and Best Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld).

The Top Movies, Weekend of January 28, 2011

1 (new) The Rite $15,005,000   $15,005,000

2 (1) No Strings Attached $13,650,000 $39,742,000

3 (new) The Mechanic $11,500,000   2,703 $11,500,000

4 (2) The Green Hornet $11,500,000 $78,800,000

5 (4) The King’s Speech $11,102,276 $72,217,183

6 (5) True Grit Paramount Pictures Western $7,600,000 $148,388,000

7 (3) The Dilemma $5,475,925 $40,634,380

8 (6) Black Swan $5,100,000 $90,704,041

9 (8) The Fighter $4,055,000 $78,373,000

10 (9) Yogi Bear 3D $3,165,000

The Top Movies, Weekend of January 29, 1999

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