The Town Takes Crown

Four newcomers dominated the box office this weekend.

Ben Affleck's directorial debut, The Town, took first place at the weekend box office, bringing in an estimated $23.8 million.  With a modest $37 million production budget, the strong start coupled with strong word of mouth and critical reviews should help the film extend its strong debut over the coming weeks.

Another new film, Easy A starring Zombieland's Emma Stone, opened in second place, with an $18.2 million opening weekend.  With a small $8 million budget, the film is already profitable.

Third place went the M. Night Shymalan-produced Devil, accumulated $12.5 million in its opening frame.  The production budget is reportedly a tiny $750,000, which means Universal Studios has to be happy with this result. The first film in a planned trilogy, Devil takes place primarily in an elevator and has received middle-of-the-road response from audience exit polls.

Last week's #1 film, Resident Evil: Afterlife, fell to fourth place in its second weekend.  Dropping a whopping 62% week-over-week, the 3-D horror flick brought in $10.1 million for a cumulative total of just under $44 million so far.  International grosses and home video should help boost the film well past its $60 million production budget.

Finally, fifth place went to another newcomer, animated film Alpha and Omega from Lionsgate.  With $9.2 million, the film suffered due to a weak marketing campaign and a target audience that has just returned to school after summer holidays.