New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Fourth goes to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, as Harry and friends try to recover from the embarrassment served up last weekend, which followed its coming out party as the biggest opener of all time the weekend before. This weekend, Potter proves the audience came out in the opening weekend, as the final film earns $21.9 million in its third weekend, dropping 54% from the previous frame. The pattern for Part 2 is actually not much different than that of Part 1, which opened to $125 million, before falling 61% and 65% in its follow up weekends. Hallows Part 2 has already crossed the $300 million million mark stateside (it did that on Friday, its 15th day – The Dark Knight did it in 10 days, Avatar also took 15 days), and is already in reach of the billion mark worldwide, and it's only been out for three weekends. Deathly Hallows Part 2 now has a domestic cume of $318.5 million.

Fifth goes to the last of our new films, Crazy, Stupid, Love with Steve Carell, and let me start this by giving you a challenge. When was the last time a romantic comedy for adults came out that wasn't R rated – and I don't count Larry Crowne because no one knows what the hell that actually was. The closest thing we have is Midnight in Paris, but this is Steve Carell, not Woody Allen, so we know Crazy, Stupid Love will likely be more laugh out loud funny. Regardless, considering that this one was in the dark compared to the mini blue man group (I can't even say it anymore) and Cowboys, the fact that it earned $19.3 million should be considered a large achievement. It earned that amount by opening to 3,020 venues, and providing a quality film, as Crazy, Stupid Love is 73% fresh at RottenTomatoes. It is a successful new idea that will be profitable, as this one cost only $40 million to make. This is actually on the low side of recent Carell openers (Dinner for Schmucks opened to $23 million, Date Night $25 million); however, it may be another leggy film for adults, much like Midnight In Paris. I will keep my fingers crossed.

Sixth is Friends with Benefits, as the Justin Timberlake/Mila Kunis starrer seeks momentum after an $18.5 million opening weekend. It didn't get it, as FWB earned $9.3 million, and dropped 50%, much higher than the usual R-rated comedies we have seen this summer. Still, Friends will end up as a win for the always thrifty Screen Gems, as this one cost $35 million to make, and will likely turn in $60 million stateside. Its current total is $38.2 million.

Seventh is Horrible Bosses, another in the long line of R-rated comedies. Bosses took in $7.1 million this weekend, and dropped 40%. It will cross the $100 million mark next weekend, as it sits with a total so far of $96.2 million.

Eighth is Transformers 3, now in its fifth weekend. Dark of the Moon earned $6 million this weekend, and fell 50%. With a domestic take so far of $337.9 million, it will likely lose out to Potter for box office king of the year, but it is still approaching the billion dollar mark worldwide, as it has earned about $950 million around the globe.

Ninth and tenth are both disappointing films aimed at the younger set. Ninth is Zookeeper, which took in $4.2 million this weekend. The $80 million Sony flick has earned a disappointing $68.7 million stateside, but overseas grosses will keep the Kevin James train rolling. Tenth is Cars 2, which took in $2.3 million this weekend to take its domestic total to $182.1 million. Pixar spent $200 million on this one, and will also get bailed out by overseas grosses.

Overall, the top 12 films could not keep up with the blistering pace set last weekend by Captain America when their total came in at $181 million. The top 12 did manage to stay very strong though this weekend, as the roster pulled in $170.4 million – yards ahead of the $136 million pulled in last year, when Inception spent its third glorious weekend at number one (it really was the best picture of last year; there's no denying it). Next weekend brings Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which for some reason I really want to fail (isn't it better if we don't see the monkeys take over the world, and leave that to our imaginations? Isn't this the biggest plot hole in the other films?), as well as The Change-Up, seemingly the 4,000th R-rated comedy to come out this summer.

Top Weekend Box Office for 7/29/11-7/31/11 (Estimates)
Rank	Film	Distributor	Estimated Gross	Weekly Change	Running Total
1	The Smurfs	Paramount	$36,200,000	New	$36,200,000
1	Cowboys and Aliens	DreamWorks	$36,200,000	New	$36,200,000
3	Captain America: The First Avenger	Paramount Pictures	$24,905,000	-62%	$116,772,000
4	Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2	WARNER BROS.	$21,925,000	-54%	$318,460,000
5	Crazy, Stupid, Love	WARNER BROS.	$19,300,000	New	$19,300,000
6	Friends With Benefits	Sony/Columbia	$9,300,000	-50%	$38,200,000
7	Horrible Bosses	New Line Cinema	$7,100,000	-40%	$96,202,000
8	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	Paramount	$5,970,000	-50%	$337,892,000
9	Zookeeper	SONY	$4,200,000	-52%	$68,700,000
10	Cars 2	Walt Disney Pictures	$2,301,000	-59%	$182,070,000
11	Winnie the Pooh	WALT DISNEY	$1,751,000	-66%	$22,409,000
12	Midnight in Paris	Sony Pictures Classics	$1,219,758	-32%	$46,914,777
	Also Opening/Notables
	Attack the Block	Sony/Columbia	$130,000	New	$130,000
	The Devil's Double	Lions Gate	$90,000	New	$90,000
	The Guard	Sony Pictures Classics	$80,398	New	$80,398
	Life In a Day	National Geographic	$45,454	New	$89,454
	The Future	Roadside Attractions	$30,000	New	$30,000
	Sarah's Key	Weinstein Co.	$369,404	+219%	$539,364
	Another Earth	FOX SEARCHLIGHT	$107,242	+38%	$219,508
	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan	Fox Searchlight	$180,700	-10%	$706,819
	Beats, Rhymes & Life: the Travels of a Tribe Called Quest	Sony Classics	$126,494	-13%	$800,545
	Bad Teacher	Sony/Columbia	$800,000	-69%	$96,675,000
	Bridesmaids	Universal	$825,000	-38%	$165,500,000
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations

Continued:       1       2       3