Ben Affleck's crime thriller wins the weekend, while M. Night Shyamalan's return to horror fails to scare up a win.By Josh Wigler
Slaine, Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner and Owen Burke in "The Town"
Photo: Warner Bros.
The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "The Town" ($23.8 million)
#2 "Easy A" ($18.2 million)
#3 "Devil" ($12.6 million)
#4 "Resident Evil: Afterlife" ($10.1 million)
#5 "Alpha and Omega" ($9.2 million)
Last week, "Resident Evil: Afterlife" scored an easy first-place finish at the box office thanks to a dearth of other new competitors. But that wasn't the case this past weekend, with brand-new films emerging from the likes of Ben Affleck, M. Night Shyamalan and Emma Stone to give last week's reigning champion a run for its money.
Leading the pack of this weekend's new releases was "The Town," Affleck's second directing effort and already his most successful to date. Affleck also stars in the Boston crime thriller about a bank robber who falls in love with one of his hostages, much to the chagrin of his fellow criminals. "The Town" scored a $23.8 million haul from Friday through Sunday, earning enough in one weekend to eclipse the entire $20.3 million run of Affleck's directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone."
"Easy A" took second place with a strong $18.2 million. Starring Emma Stone, Cam Gigandet and Amanda Bynes, director Will Gluck's modern retelling of "The Scarlet Letter" was shot on a modest budget of $8 million, with its weekend performance already pushing it $10.2 million past the profit line.
M. Night Shyamalan's return to the horror genre with "Devil" wasn't enough to scare moviegoers into theaters. "Devil," the first entry in the "Night Chronicles," managed a mere $12.5 million debut despite early positive buzz and a clear marketing push.
"Alpha and Omega," Lionsgate's newest animated family film, about a pack of wolves, scored $9.2 million to land in fifth place. Last week's "Resident Evil" held on to a top five spot with a $10.1 million performance.
Upcoming Releases
Zack Snyder gets animated with "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," while Michael Douglas assumes the role of Gordon Gekko once again in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
Check out everything we've got on "The Town," "Easy A" and "Devil."
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