'Social Network' Tops US Weekend B-O

OCT 4, 2010 - Facebook drama, The Social Network, topped the US weekend box office while two horror movies about scary children, Case 39 and Let Me In, were somewhat ignored. Overall business was down 10 percent from the same weekend last year when Zombieland debuted.

The Social Network, a critically acclaimed film starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, posted an estimated US$23 million on approximately 3,800 screens at 2,771 locations, which was solid for a biographical or topical drama. That was greater than Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps's US$19 million launch last weekend.

Case 39 claimed a scant estimated US$5.4 million at 2,211 locations, which was near the bottom of the supernatural horror subgenre. Let Me In nabbed an anaemic estimated US$5.3 million on around 2,200 screens at 2,021 locations, which was weak by vampire movie standards and even less than Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant from last October.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Oct 1-3, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.

1. The Social Network (Sony/Columbia) $23.0 million ($23.0 mil) 1

2. Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'Hoole (WB) $10.9 million ($30.0 mil) 2

3. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Fox) $10.1 million ($35.9 mil) 2

4. The Town (WB) $10.0 million ($64.3 mil) 3

5. Easy A (Sony/Screen Gems) $7.0 million ($42.4 mil) 3