Tops at the Box Office: Puss In Boots scratches it's way to #1

1. Puss In Boots- $34 million
Who knows how much the surprise east coast snow affected moviegoers, but Puss in Boots' $34M opening is pretty low when compared to previous Shrek films, the lowest of which opened at nearly $71M back in 2010. Still it's hard to gauge what the expectations were for a spinoff of a popular franchise. The film has been in development for years since back when Shrek was in it's heyday, and the trailers made it look like a dusty old leftover, but the response has been strong from critics and audience alike. 51% of the audience took to the film in 3D, while roughly 7% was generated via IMAX screenings. If Shrek is truly over, expect to see more Puss In Boots in the near future.

2. Paranormal Activity 3- $18.5M/$81.3M
Typical for horrors, last week's champ suffered a mighty 64% decline, but it was still enough to land the #2 spot. These movies aren't going anywhere anytime soon, folks. Might as well get used to them. With their cheap budget and massive hauls, it's going to take another horror phenomenon to unseat Paranormal Activity, the same way it put an end to Saw.  
3. In Time- $12M
Ok, I don't subscribe to the theory that Justin Timberlake isn't a box office draw. The $145M haul of Friends with Benefits proves otherwise. So I blame this underwhelming debut for Andrew Niccol's high concept sci-fi flick on a confusing marketing campaign which couldn't get the premise across in a neat enough package. The poor critical response might not be helping, either, with the film scoring a dismal 36% on Rotten Tomatoes.
4. Footloose- $5.4M/$38.4M
5. The Rum Diary- $5.01M
The Tourist? Eh, it did well overseas. Public Enemies? Mediocre. The Libertine? Major floperoonie. And now The Rum Diary falls hard. I'm sorry but it's clear now: Nobody wants to see Johnny Depp unless he's playing a glorified cartoon character as Jack Sparrow, or the Mad Hatter, or Willy Wonka. This was basically a vanity project anyway, with Depp paying tribute to his late friend, Hunter S. Thompson. Not sure how much appeal it had otherwise.
6. Real Steel- $4.7M/$73.9M
7. The Three Musketeers- $3.5M $14.8M
Don't weep for Paul W. S. Anderson's silly adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas classic. the film has made more than $60M on international receipts alone.
8. The Ides of March- $2.7M/$33.5M
9. Moneyball- $2.4M/$67.4M
10. Courageous- $1.8M/$27.6M