Weekend Box Office: January 21-23

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  No Strings Attached - $20.3 million

2.  The Green Hornet - $18.1 million

3.  The Dilemma - $9.7 million

4.  The King's Speech - $9.1 million

5.  True Grit - $8 million

6.  Black Swan - $6.2 million

7.  The Fighter - $4.5 million

8.  Little Fockers - $4.3 million

9.  Yogi Bear - $4 million

10.  Tron Legacy - $3.7 million

It was a fairly unremarkable but solid weekend at the box office.  This weekend's only major new release, No Strings Attached, easily took the top spot with $20.3 million.  That's about the norm for an Ashton Kutcher film (so that's why they keep finding movies for him to star in), and Natalie Portman's first top opening weekend since V for Vendetta in 2006.  There was some murmuring that starring in a critically panned comedy might hurt Portman's Black Swan Oscar chances the same way it's believed Norbit hurt Eddie Murphy's chance for his Dreamgirls Oscar (which ultimately went to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine), but that doesn't seem likely now.  The reviews weren't that awful, and it should play well for the next few weeks.

Last week's new releases, The Green Hornet and The Dilemma, didn't do badly this weekend, earning $18.1 million and $9.1 million respectively.  Overall, however, The Dilemma is still underperforming with just a $33.4 million domestic total.  The Green Hornet's total stands at $63.4 million, which puts it past last year's Kick-Ass, making it the highest grossing live action superhero comedy.   

It was another good week for the Oscar contenders.  The Fighter seems to have gotten a boost from last week's Golden Globe wins for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, moving back into seventh place with $4.5 million.  Audiences still love The King's Speech, which barely moved from last week, staying in 4th place with just a 0.2% drop.  True Grit and Black Swan continue to play well, earning $8 million and $6.2 million.  With the Oscar nominations set to be announced this week, expect those to keep a strong hold in the top ten for the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, it's Jason Stratham vs. Anthony Hopkins next week as The Mechanic and The Rite open in theaters.