Facebook's popularity has never been greater, so it only makes sense that a movie based on the social networking site would be equally popular. For two weeks running, director David Fincher's "The Social Network" has lived up to the hype, befriending the first-place spot at the box office and identifying its relationship status as "married" to success.
The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "The Social Network" ($15.5 million)
#2 "Life as We Know It" ($14.6 million)
#3 "Secretariat" ($12.6 million)
#4 "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" ($7 million)
#5 "My Soul to Take" ($6.9 million)
"The Social Network," starring Jesse Eisenberg as embattled Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Justin Timberlake as entrepreneur and Napster mastermind Sean Parker, grossed $15.5 million at the box office this past weekend, bringing the film's domestic total to $46 million. With only $4 million left to earn before it reclaims its entire reported production budget, "The Social Network" has proven itself both a commercial and critical success.
Following closely in second place was "Life as We Know It," the Warner Bros. romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel as two polar opposites forced to forge an unlikely alliance when their best friends are killed in an accident, leaving them to raise their orphaned baby. The first directorial effort from "Green Lantern" screenwriter Greg Berlanti since "The Broken Hearts Club" in 2000, "Life as We Know It" performed solidly if not spectacularly with $14.6 million.
With first- and second-place medals claimed, Disney's "Secretariat" galloped to the finish line to earn third place at the box office. Diane Lane and John Malkovich star in this true-life drama about a housewife who inherits her father's horse stable and goes on to train one of the greatest racehorses of all time. The fictional retelling of this inspiring story wasn't as successful, however, as "Secreatiat" ended up with only $12.6 million.
Director Wes Craven's latest return to horror in "My Soul to Take" wasn't greeted as enthusiastically as Universal may have hoped, stabbing into fifth place with $6.9 million. With any luck, Craven's upcoming "Scream" revival will scare up a higher debut.
Upcoming Releases
Bruce Willis and a slew of other aging actors see "Red" next weekend, while Johnny Knoxville leads the way with dangerous stunts and moronic pranks in "Jackass 3-D."
Check out everything we've got on "The Social Network,""Life as We Know It" and "Secretariat."
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