'Resident Evil' Takes Bite Out of Competition

Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth live-action film in the series based on the Resident Evil video games, chewed its way to the top of the box office charts this weekend.  The film brought in a series' best $27.7 million, boosted by 3-D ticket sales.  Attendance was down from prior films in the series, but with a modest $60 million budget, the film should turn a nice profit for distributor Sony.

Second place went to Takers, which fell 44% to $6.1 million in its third weekend.  With $48.1 million to-date, the high concept heist flick is well on its way into the black.

In third spot was George Clooney's The American, falling from the top spot last weekend.  The film dropped 55.3%, which is significant for a film that appeals to an older audience.  This likely means it isn't experiencing stellar word-of-mouth.  $5.9 million in grosses, The American has tallied a total of $26.7 million over two weeks.

Robert Rodriguez' Machete also suffered a huge drop, falling 63% to $4.2 million.  The total gross for the film after two weeks is $20.8 million, but it has a low budget and will likely develop a following internationally and on home video.

Finally, the top five is rounded out by Going the Distance, which fell 44.3% in its second weekend, adding another $3.8 million to its total.  With $14 million to-date, the Drew Barrymore/Justin Long romantic comedy will have to rely on home video to return its $32 million production budget.