Thursday, February 24, 2011

'Unknown' Leads Friday Box Office

Thriller bags $6.7 million while 'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never' tumbles to sixth place.
By Shawn Adler


Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson in "Unknown"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Asking what movie kicked off President's Day weekend by winning the Friday night box office is like the start of a bad Abbott and Costello routine: It's "Unknown."

Despite middling reviews, the Liam Neeson starrer about a man who awakens after a car accident to discover the life he thought he had has been taken away, topped all comers with $6.7 million on Friday from 3,043 screens.

Expected to end at somewhere over $25 million for the four-day weekend, "Unknown" continues Neeson's recent domination of the February box office. The secretly badass star wowed audiences two years ago in "Taken," which, after opening in February 2008, ended its run with $226 million worldwide.

"I Am Number Four," meanwhile, will have to settle for being number two. On Friday, the teen-targeted alien picture finished in second place with $6.2 million. The latest from director D.J. Caruso, and star Alex Pettyfer, "I Am Number Four" could still win the weekend with a strong Saturday bounce.

Last week's winner, the Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston starring "Just Go With It," came in third place with $5.2 million.

Rounding out the top five, new release "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son" and holdover "Gnomeo and Juliet" earned $4.8 million and $4.3 million, respectively.

Which means America may have finally found a cure for Bieber Fever, as the doe-eyed one's 3-D concert pic, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," toppled all the way from second to sixth place, earning just $3.8 million on Friday.

Among Oscar hopefuls, "The King's Speech" (seventh place) continued its impressive run. The presumptive favorite at the Academy Awards will pass $100 million domestically this weekend.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1658376/unknown-leads-friday-box-office.jhtml

Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard

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