Film Weekend Per Total
1 Limitless $19,000,000 $6,894 $19,000,000
2 Rango $15,315,000 (-32.2%) $3,985 $92,577,000
3 Battle: Los Angeles $14,600,000 (-59.0%) $4,273 $60,602,000
4 The Lincoln Lawyer $13,400,000 $4,950 $13,400,000
5 Paul $13,155,000 $4,695 $13,155,000
6 Red Riding Hood $7,255,000 (-48.2%) $2,394 $25,962,000
7 The Adjustment Bureau $5,932,000 (-48.9%) $2,230 $48,779,000
8 Mars Needs Moms $5,317,000 (-23.1%) $1,706 $15,401,000
9 Beastly $3,260,000 (-35.1%) $1,801 $22,245,000
10 Hall Pass $2,600,000 (-48.1%) $1,365 $39,590,000

This just in: Bradley Cooper > Matthew McConaughey. FOREVER.

It’s weird that not having a single film that cracked $20 Million can make this considered a weak weekend. But that’s how this world rolls. Studios  don’t put out movies at this time of year looking to making $100 for the three day, so you call your shots. And for Relativity, they called right with Limitless the #1 picture of the weekend. With a supposed less than $30 Million budget, they should be able to make their money domestically. Bradley Cooper is not yet a movie star – as The A Team proved last year – but this helps. Likely the reasonably clever premise got people out, and perhaps people are warming on Cooper. He can be well used, and I wouldn’t underrate the opening weekend of The Hangover 2, even if cameos and a lot of the better gags are going to be spoilt quick.

Still, considering their slightly awkward sells, one shouldn’t poo-poo the numbers for either The Lincoln Lawyer or Paul. McConaughey hasn’t been dressing as leading man material for a while now, and as an ensemble piece, these aren’t terrible numbers – perhaps the film will have slightly longer play as lawyer pictures skew older. And Paul could have been a disaster. The film is buffeted by international unquestionably, but it’s nice to have some good numbers domestically as well. It also opened to twice the numbers of Hot Fuzz, which shows that the comic stylings of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have grown their audience stateside. Likely both films will do a little better than $40 when they’re done. I thought  and worried that Paul would be DOA, and it opened, so this is one of those times where I couldn’t be happier to be dead wrong.

Rango held well and fell less than a third, which is always good. Sometime next weekend it will clear a hundred domestic. Perhaps they are establishing the brand, though I’ve heard there aren’t great ancillaries. Kids films are as much about the movies as the toys in the 21st century (why Pixar is making Cars 2). It looks to be a slight misfire, but nothing anyone would get fired over. It’s painless for Paramount if they want to be in the Gore Verbinski business. Battle: Los Angeles couldn’t get over what amounts to the inherent problems with the material. Perhaps the film won’t clear $100 as expected. Opening weekend picture? You got it.

Red Riding Hood isn’t a super disaster if it does international business. Likely it’ll creep close domestically to $40. The same could be said for Matt Damon’s The Adjustment Bureau. Production budget is listed at $62 Million, the film is at a little less than $50 now. Should do around production budget. Not terrible.

Mars Needs Moms dropped less than 25%. This is mostly because it made no money opening weekend. It’s now over $15, Next week brings direct kid competition, and it’s first two weeks will be up (which means it can be dumped). Disney won’t protect their film. Maybe they’ll hold for matinees. Regardless, these numbers are sad, and the film will be out of most theaters for the first of the month.

Hall Pass is doing over $40, Beastly should get above $25, and maybe closer to $30… nah. Outside of the top ten, Just Go With It is less than $2 Million from hitting the hundred mark. That it will. Next week brings Sucker Punch. I’d ask if you guys are ready for Sucker Punch, but how could you be ready for a sucker punch? Isn’t that the point? The sneak attack?