A slow weekend saw the Anthony Hopkins exorcism-based horror thriller The Rite head to the top of the charts with a very average $15m. The story of a priest who becomes involved in the darker side of his faith while studying at an exorcism school in Italy has made back nearly half of its budget, although it doesn’t really compare to the same box office results of this time last year (Avatar made $31 after seven weeks on release!)
Last week’s number one, No Strings Attached, has dropped down to second place, which a total so far of $39.7m. This result marks a return to form for director Ivan Reitman, whose previous film to this (2006’s abysmal My Super Ex-Girlfriend) only managed to scrape together a paltry $22m during its entire run.
The new Jason Statham vehicle The Mechanic is at number three with $11.5m – a less-than-explosive figure for the action star whose last film in The Transporter series managed to pull in over $1m more than this during its opening weekend in 2008.
Figures courtesy of Box Office Mojo
