The man with the Teflon career has come out on top again- Nicolas Cage’s thriller “Knowing” took the top spot with $24.8 million, thanks to, we would guess, cryptic, money-shot-loaded trailers and commercials. Cage’s star always seems in the pale until he uncorks another $20 million opening, one of the few actors who can open a picture, if only once a year or so. With this opening and the iffy word of mouth, the ceiling is probably close to the $60 million that “The Happening” did last summer. Chalk this up as another credit for Summit Entertainment, who’s got a mighty big tentpole in the next “Twilight” installment this fall and are looking to make a big power play from within the studio system.
“I Love You, Man” also seemed to adhere to a mathematical observation of all parties involved- the $18 million is a happy medium to the Paul Rudd vehicle “Role Models” ($19 mil.) and Jason Segel’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” ($17.7 mil.). Judd Apatow’s movies seem to be able to crack $100 million with legs, but if you remove him from the equation, his collaborators can’t really top a $70 million gross. At #3 was the Julia Roberts/Clive Owen starrer “Duplicity,” which opened to $14.4 million- we’re just not that into you, Clive.
Last week’s number one, “Race To Witch Mountain” clocked in at $13 million for a #4 slot, while “Watchmen” completed another tricky fall to register $6.7 million- three weekends in and the picture has yet to cross the $100 million mark, which has to be a bit galling for WB bean counters. Next week it loses plenty of IMAX screens to “Monsters Vs. Aliens,” so it might top out around $115 million. The rest of the top ten lived up to its expectations (solid holds for “Taken” and “Coraline,” plummets for “The Last House On The Left” and “Madea Goes To Jail”), while finally, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” ends its top ten reign of terror by falling to #11.
1. Hairpiece Apocalypse- $24.8 million
2. Gay Panic- $18 million
3. Duplicity- $14.4 million
4. Race To Witch Mountain- $13 million
5. Watchmen- $6.7 million
6. The Last Remake Left- $5.9 million
7. Taken- $4.1 million
8. Slumdog Millionaire- $54 million rupees
9. Tyler Perry’s ATM Receipt- $2.5 million
10. Coraline- $2.1 million
