Box Office Bulletin: "Limitless" Takes The Weekend!

Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:

"Limitless" surprised many experts by taking a comfortable win at the weekend box office, outlasting the persistent "Rango", and leading a slate of tepid and underwhelming offerings.




NEW OPENINGS:

"Limitless", a suspense/thriller for Relativity Media and Rogue Pictures, featuring Bradley Cooper as a depressed writer who finds a wonder drug that changes his life's fortunes, earned an estimated $19.0 million from 2,756 sites. Neil Burger's first wide release since 2006's "The Illusionist", "Limitless" was modestly budgeted at $27 million and should turn profitable within the week. While one can point to "The Hangover" and "The A-Team" as being Cooper-featured films, "Limitless" is arguably the first film Cooper has "opened" with his name above-the-title.


Matthew McConaughey's "The Lincoln Lawyer" opened in 4th place for Lionsgate, with an estimated $13.4 million at 2,707 sites. Many questioned the marketing of the film when Lionsgate partnered with Groupon to offer $6 tickets, which for some, resulted in additional discounts making the ticket either free or reduced to $1. Nikki Finke of Deadline.com launched a heated attack regarding the promotional effort and it has yet to be seen whether this promotional trick succeeded or not. McConaughey's third turn playing a high-stakes lawyer looks to be on pace to earn back its $40 million budget; however, Lionsgate was undoubtedly hoping for more.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's "Paul", the duo's third collaboration following their 2004 zombie spoof, "Shaun of the Dead" and 2006's action/buddy cop comedy, "Hot Fuzz", found nearly matching returns to "The Lincoln Lawyer". Earning $13.2 million at 2,802 locations, "Paul", assuming it draws decent numbers through the week, should also settle in near a $40 million final haul.

In other news: "Rango" retained the #2 spot, grossing $15.3 million ($92.6 cumulative) and suffering a slight 32% decline in its third weekend. Paramount's "bring the family" marketing campaign has paid off and Nickeolodeon and Paramount may have landed the first Oscar-buzz film of 2011.

Last week's chart topper, "Battle: Los Angeles" suffered a steep but anticipated 59% decline to the #3 spot. Overall, "Battle" has grossed $60.6 million and should eclipse its $70 budget by or before the weekend.

"Red Riding Hood" lost nearly half of its opening weekend audience, netting $7.3 million with a total of $26.0 million thus far.

"Mars Needs Moms" remains on track to be the biggest flop in Disney's history and had good news and terrible news to accept. "...Moms" suffered the smallest decline of any film in the Top 10 - just 23%, but still has earned a paltry $15.4 million. The film's dismal performance led to Disney dismissing Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Studios next project - a remake of "Yellow Submarine." "Mars Needs Moms" carries a reported $150 million budget.

ALSO OF NOTE

• Focus Features' "Jane Eyre" surged 161% in its second weekend, earning a cumulative gross of $731,000.
• "Win Win" debuted at 5 sites with a stunning $30,723 per screen average, opening its take at $153,000.
• "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" may have been slashed down to 480 screens, but its estimated $470,000 weekend positioned the film as the biggest grossing concert/performance film of all time, surpassing "Michael Jackson's This Is It!". Bieber also finds himself the subject of the 3rd highest grossing documentary of all time, behind Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" (119.2m) and "March of the Penguins" (77.4m). Bieber's haul sits at $72.2 million.
  

THE TOP 10 (Estimates, with Actuals reported on Monday)

1. "Limitless" (Relativity), $19.0 million, NEW
2. "Rango" (Paramount), $15.3 million, $92.6 total, 3 wks
3. "Battle: Los Angeles" (Sony Pictures), $14.6 million, $60.6 million, 2 wks
4. "The Lincoln Lawyer" (Lionsgate), $13.4 million, NEW
5. "Paul" (Universal), $13.2 million, NEW
6. "Red Riding Hood" (Warner Bros.), $7.3 million, $26.0 million, 2 wks
7. "The Adjustment Bureau" (Universal), $5.9 million, $48.8 million, 3 wks
8. "Mars Needs Moms" (Walt Disney), $5.3 million, $15.4 million, 2 wks
9. "Beastly" (CBS Films), $3.2 million, $22.2 million, 3 wks
10. "Hall Pass" (Warner Bros.), $2.6 million, $39.6 million, 4 wks