Originally Posted by Nikki Finke's Trashtalking Machine

FRIDAY PM/SATURDAY AM: This is shaping up as 2011′s*lousiest box office weekend in North America with only $70M total grosses. Yes, even worse than*Hurricane Irene’s. A lot of surprises in Friday’s numbers. But no surprise which new North American movie is No. 1:

1.*With $8M Friday and an estimated $22+M weekend, Warner Bros’ Contagion is playing in 42% more theaters — 3,222 — than its nearest newcomer.*This Participant Media-backed disease movie looked like yet another*yikes-you’re-all-going-to-die formula pic. But I’m surprised it didn’t generate more appeal what with*Oscar-winning Steven Soderbergh directing 6*Academy Award*winners or nominees: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow,*Jude Law, and Laurence Fishburne.*(Readers are*urging me to include Oscar-honored John Hawke and Elliott Gould as well…) That added oomph to*credited screenplay writer Scott Burns’ material. “Yes, it was important to be*provocative and to scare people,” a Warner Bros exec tells me about the $60M-budget pic. “But both the print and trailer and TV campaign*present a more well-rounded view of the*mystery. We did sell the visceral experience — a smart and thrilling look at a* killer virus, the science behind it, and the aftermath.” Warner Bros*took the film to Venice to solid reviews and conducted an*aggressive consumer campaign. Besides, adult movies are working at the box office.

2. Entering its 5th weekend in release, DreamWorks/Disney’s hit dramedy The Help which is also backed by Participant Media made $2.7M going to $9M from 2,935 locations for the weekend.*It’s estimated*new cume of $137.4M by Monday.

3.*This*seemingly anticipated martial arts drama Warrior starring Tom Hardy (Bane in the next Batman) and Joel Edgerton was only released for 1,869 runs. It opened*with $1.8M Friday for what could only be a $6M weekend. Another disappointing opening for Lionsgate. Did last weekend’s sneaks let*some wannasee steam escape? Will this hurt Hardy whom Hollywood execs consider a hot soon-to-be-star?

4.*Focus Features’ adult holdover The Debt earned $1.4M Friday (-45% from a week ago) from 1,874 theaters and a projected $4.5M weekend for an estimated $21.6M cume by Monday.

5. Sony Pictures’ holdover Colombiana made $1.1M Friday from 2,354 runs for close to a $4M weekend and $29.7M cume.

But I have it on good authority that Sony execs were hiding out at the Toronto Film Festival (where better-than-expected Moneyball officially premiered Friday night) rather than get tagged by its Columbia Pictures’ R-rated*Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star which had one of the most annoying TV ad campaigns I’ve ever been assaulted by. Mercifully, its box office take was miniscule: $540K Friday and only $1.4M expected for the weekend. That wasn’t even enough to make it into the Top 10 much less Sony’s hoped-for $4M. Fortunately the budget is claimed at only $10M.*Usually Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison production banner gives Sony box office gold: stupid pics popular with audiences. But this was fool’s gold.

Before I give you the rest of the Top 10, you should know that refined numbers now have Kevin Hart’s*Laugh At My Pain at No. 10 despite Hartbeat Productions and Codeblack Entertainment releasing it into only*99 theaters. It opened to*$758K Friday and an*estimated weekend of $2M.*Hart’s fans turned out for this profanity-filled film version of his recent stand-up tour. It offers less than an hour of Hart onstage but also includes such bonus footage as Hart touring his old neighborhood in Philadelphia and faking a bank heist. Directed by Leslie Small, this 1-hour, 28-minute pic and its entry into the Top 10 now establishes Hart as a bonafide star beyond just his YouTube videos which have drawn tens of millions of views. Look for the major studios to take notice.

Fuller analysis coming:6. Rise Of the Planet Of The Apes (Fox) Week 6 [2,887 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Estimated Weekend $3.4M, Estimated Cume $167.4M
7. Shark Night 3D (Relativity) Week 2 [2,848 Theaters]
Friday $1M (-64%), Estimated Weekend $3.5M, Estimated Cume $14.8M
8. Apollo 18 (Dimension/The Weinstein Co) Week 2 [3,330 Theaters]
Friday $875K (-69%), Estimated Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $15.1M
9. Our Idiot Brother (The Weinstein Co) Week 3 [2,396 Theaters]
Friday $835K, Estimated Weekend $2.6M, Estimated Cume $21.3M
10. Laugh At My Pain (Hartbeat Prods/Codeblack Ent) NEW [99 Theaters]
Friday $758K, Estimated Weekend $2M

Originally Posted by foofighters7

It did have one of the most annoying TV spots ever. I wouldn't mind killing everyone involved with coming up with the moronic ad.

Originally Posted by KillerCannibal

But you wasted space for Chipmunks 3?

Fail. Epic fail.

Originally Posted by KillerCannibal

But you wasted space for Chipmunks 3?

Fail. Epic fail.

Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel

Chipmunks 3 will actually make more in its first hour of business than Bucky Larson will make during its entire theatrical run.

Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel

Good to see that Happy Madison and Sony targeting their audience with a stoned Christopher Walken impersonator Adam Sandler's bitch Peter Dante.

Originally Posted by troystiffler

I enjoy the Happy Madison guys and will get around to seeing Bucky Larson.

Originally Posted by CloverClover

. So the theater for Contagion was full of teens, burping and farting through the whole movie, texting and laughing at inappropriate parts. and at the end shouting THAT SUCKED!

Originally Posted by Adam Tyner

POP QUIZ! Who's worse: Peter Dante or Dan Fogler?

Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt

The comments are annoying as hell. How about name of the movie and how much it made? I don't need to read about Oscar winning... blah blah. Sorry, rant is over.

Originally Posted by Daytripper

Poor Nick. All of his stand ups I've seen have been from funny to hysterical. And his new Comedy Central show is pretty funny too. And although most of his supporting film roles have also been amusing, I can't imagine who would greenlight him being the star of a movie. I hope he leaves Sandler's camp if he hasn't been dismissed already. And even though Kevin James has been successful teaming with Sandler (money-wise), creatively his work has been abysmal. James was also a very good stand up comedienne and "The King of Queens" is one of the funniest sitcoms ever (IMO).