Friday Report: 'The Help' Does It Again

boxofficemojo.com

The Help stayed in charge for the third Friday in a row, remaining the saving grace of a moribund close to Summer 2011. Down only 18 percent from last Friday, the drama earned an estimated $3.6 million, lifting its total to $108 million in 24 days.

The dueling horror movies, Apollo 18 and Shark Night 3D, were just $10,000 apart, but both were bloodless. Apollo nabbed an estimated $2.84 million at 3,328 nearly single-screen locations, while Shark packed an estimated $2.83 million on approximately 4,100 screens at 2,806 locations. Shark's run included around 2,500 3D locations, and they accounted for 88 percent of its business. Apollo had the weakest launch yet for a "found-footage" horror movie, while Shark's bite wasn't even as big as the diminutive Piranha 3D's $3.6 million from last summer.

The Debt was relatively more impressive than the horror movies, even though it ranked fourth. The thriller collected an estimated $2.6 million on close to 1,900 screens at 1,826 locations, or around two-thirds of The American on the same Friday last year, and has tallied $4.5 million since its Wednesday debut.

Colombiana rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $2 million. Off 46 percent, the action thriller has made $16.6 million in eight days. As the weekend progresses, it should be neck-and-neck with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which generated an estimated $1.85 million. The Apes reboot fell only 29 percent and has rallied $154.1 million in 29 days.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark slipped further into oblivion, collapsing by 60 percent to an estimated $1.45 million for a $12.9 million tally in eight days. Our Idiot Brother held up better (down 41 percent) but was still insignificant with an estimated $1.42 million for an $11.7 million sum in eight days.

Meanwhile, golf drama Seven Days in Utopia was a miss with under $400,000 at 561 locations in its debut, and the re-rollout of Cars 2 stalled. The Pixar sequel took in an estimated $215,000 at 2,043 locations, or around half of Toy Story 3's re-expansion on the same Friday last year. With $187.7 million in 71 days, Cars 2 will be the first Pixar movie since A Bug's Life not to reach $200 million, and it's also the company's least-attended movie yet by a wide margin.