WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

Two new films, The Green Hornet, and The Dilemma, entered the box office race last week at number one and number two, respectively. Unfortunately, with the new romantic comedy, No Strings Attached starring Natalie Portman, and Ashton Kutcher, opening this weekend, their reign over the box office has been cut short.

Debuting at number one this week is the new romantic comedy from director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), called No Strings Attached. The film features an all-star cast that includes Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Ashton Kutcher (Killers), Lake Bell (What Happens in Vegas), Cary Elwes (Saw 3D), and Oscar winner Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda). The film made $6,726 on each of its 3,018 screens for an opening weekend total of $20.3 million. Considering that the movie only cost $25 million to make, it came very close to earning back its entire production budget in its opening weekend.

Falling one place back from its debut last week to number two is the new film from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), The Green Hornet, which is based on the classic super-hero TV series from the '60s. The movie stars Seth Rogen (Superbad), Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz (In Her Shoes), Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins), Edward James Olmos (I'm Still Here), and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds). While the movie fell 46.0% from last week, it earned $5,050 on each of its 3,584 screens for a weekend total of about $18.1 million. In two weeks of release, the film has made $63.4 million, which is a little over half of its $120 million production budget.

Dropping one spot back from its debut last week to number three is the latest film from director Ron Howard (Backdraft), the best-friends comedy, The Dilemma. The movie stars Vince Vaughn (Old School), Kevin James (Grown Ups), Jennifer Connelly (Blood Diamond), Winona Ryder (Black Swan), Channing Tatum (Dear John), and Queen Latifah (Chicago). While the movie fell 45.4% from last week, it earned $3,305 on each of its 2,943 screens for a weekend total of about $9.7 million. In two weeks of release, the film has made about $33.3 million, which is almost half of its $70 million production budget.

Holding strong for a second week in a row at number four, partly due to good word-of-mouth, is the Oscar bait, The King's Speech. The film stars Colin Firth (Bridget Jones's Diary), Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland), Guy Pearce (Memento), Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl), and Michael Gambon (Layer Cake). While the film only went up 0.2% from last week, it was added in 137 theaters for a total of 1,680. The movie earned $5,455 on each screen for a weekend total of $9.1 million. In over two months of release, the film has now earned a total of $58.6 million at the box office, which is almost four times its initial $15 million production budget.

Rounding off the top five this week, and falling two places back from last week is No Country for Old Men directors Joel and Ethan Coen's True Grit, a remake of the classic John Wayne film. The movie stars an all-star cast, which includes Oscar winners Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Milk), Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan), and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. While the movie dropped 27.3% from last week, it was added on 5 screens for a total of 3,464. The film earned $2,309 on each screen for a weekend total of about $8 million. In it's first five weeks of release the movie has now made $138.6 million, which far surpasses its initial $38 million production budget.

Doing well in its debut in limited release this week is the first directorial effort from ER and The West Wing producer John Wells, entitled The Company Men. The movie takes place in Massachusetts and looks at the way our economy and, as a result, corporate downsizing has affected families and entire communities. The film stars an all-star cast that includes Oscar winners Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting), Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive), Chris Cooper (Adaptation) and Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves), as well Maria Bello (Grown Ups), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), and Craig T. Nelson (The Proposal). The film made $7,236 on each of its 106 screens for an opening weekend total of $767,000.

Continuing to do well in limited release this week is the new independent drama, Barney's Version. The film features an all-star cast that includes Oscar nominees Paul Giamatti (Sideways) and Minnie Driver (Grosse Pointe Blank), Rosamund Pike (An Education), Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman (Underworld), and Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman (Marathon Man). The movie actually went up 146.8% from last week and earned $10,063 on each of its 16 screens, for a weekend total of about $161,000. The movie has now made $303,000 in 2 weeks of release, but will need to continue to improve if it has a chance of earning back its entire $30 million production budget.

Next week will see the opening of two new films in wide release and one in limited release.

Opening next week in wide release is the new horror film, The Rite. The movie stars Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins (Red Dragon), along with Ciarán Hinds (Miami Vice), Alice Braga (Predators), Toby Jones (Amazing Grace), and Rutger Hauer (Batman Begins).

Also opening in wide release next week is the new action thriller from Con Air director Simon West called, The Mechanic. The movie is a remake of the classic Charles Bronson film and stars Jason Statham (The Expendables), Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), Tony Goldwyn (The Last Samurai), and Donald Sutherland (Klute).

Finally, opening in limited release next week is romantic comedy, From Prada to Nada, which is loosely based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. The film's cast includes Camilla Belle (10,000 B.C.), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show), Nicholas D'Agosto (Election), and Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel). So please check back in seven days to see who comes out on top at the box office next week!