Tops at the Box Office

1. Rango- $38M
Animated features minus 3D have become a rarity, so it's good to see one that succeeds. The Johnny Depp led Rango kicked off to a hefty opening weekend nearly doubling it's nearest competitor. Still, I think the film has a pretty long way to go to earn back it's $130M budget, especially since the film isn't  geared towards kids and families.
2. The Adjustment Bureau- $20.9M
After flops like Green Zone and Hereafter, it's easy to underestimate Matt Damon's box office potential. True Grit doesn't count since he's merely a supporting face in the crowd. The Adjustment Bureau should quiet those critics do a degree. Undefinable genre films like this tend to perform poorly this time of year, but Bureau has scored and tracked very well, beating analyst expectations. Hopefully the strong word of mouth will keep it chugging along for a few more weeks.
3. Beastly- $10.1M
Can we finally say a fond farewell to Alex Pettyfer? The hunky model/actor has failed miserably leading three movies so far(the others are Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker and I Am Number Four), but this is probably the biggest disappointment of all. Adapting such a popular young adult book series should've made Beastly a surefire hit, but not even the presence of High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens could put butts in seats. 
4. Hall Pass- $9.02M/$27M
The Farrelly Brothers comedy dipped a meager 33% from last week, and has nearly recouped the modest $36M estimated budget. By Farrelly standards this doesn't come close to ranking, but it's on track to do better than The Heartbreak Kid. 
5. Gnomeo & Juliet- $6.91M/$83.7M
6. Unknown- $6.62M/$53.1M
7. The King's Speech- $6.5M $124M
8. Just Go With It- $6.5M/$88.2M
On the way to becoming Adam Sandler's 12th $100M hit.
9.  I Am Number Four- $5.7M/$46.4M
10. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never- $4.33M/$68.9M

 The other nationwide release this week was the long gestating 80s retro comedy, Take Me Home Tonight. Apparently nobody felt like revisiting the time of New Coke and big hair, because the film got off to a dismal start with only $3.5M.  Makes me wonder how it would've fared if released on the original date a couple of years ago when movies like this were more successful.