Yesterday it looked like Universal’s The Bourne Legacy might get as high as $45 million by the end of its first weekend. That was not to be; although the re-born Bourne did open to a very respectable $40.2 million from 3,745 locations. Also falling in the ‘respectable’ range with $27.4 million was The Campaign, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. The comedy did well enough from 3,204 locations to keep The Dark Knight Rises in third.

After three weeks on top, The Dark Knight Rises fell to third place on Friday behind a pair of new releases. First up was The Bourne Legacy, the fourth entry in the successful Universal franchise previously associated with Matt Damon. Now with Jeremy Renner in the lead, The Bourne Legacy earned an estimated $14 million from 3,745 locations on Friday. Weekend projections for the revamped Bourne are close to $45 million: well above initial expectations. Friday’s runner-up was The Campaign, the R-rated comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. It hasn’t been the best year for star-studded comedies (see The Watch) so expectations were scaled back to a modest $23 million opening. After earning an estimated $10.3 million on Friday, however, it looks like The Campaign will come closer to $28 million by Sunday. Finally, Hope Springs took a cue from last summer’s surprise hit The Help by opening on Wednesday. With a Friday estimate of $4.7 million from 2,361 locations, the Meryl Streep dramedy is on track for a five-day cume of $20 million.   We’ll have full details tomorrow.

Hope Springs is an actor’s movie through-and-through.  The film is about intimacy, and David Frankel‘s direction wisely lets the action unfold over a few locations, relies on close-ups when necessary, and then allows his talented lead cast carry the picture, particularly Tommy Lee Jones.  Summer 2012 has shown us two Joneses.  There’s the I-Don’t-Give-a-Shit-and-I-Don’t-Want-to-Be-Here-Give-Me-My-Money Tommy Lee Jones of Men in Black 3.  And then there’s the I’m-Really-Good-if-I-Want-to-Be Tommy Lee Jones of Hope Springs.  The strength of his performance, coupled with co-stars Meryl Streep and Steve Carell, almost makes Hope Springs a stage play except Frankel never makes it feel stage-y.  The director also provides the film’s only major obstacle when he tries to force emotions on a scene where Jones, Streep, and Carell are more than capable of delivering the humor, warmth, and drama of this surprisingly enjoyable film.

We’ve got a couple of new posters to share this evening.  First up is the poster debut for the crime thriller Alex Cross.  Tyler Perry stars as the titular detective in this adaptation of the James Patterson novel I, Alex Cross, with Matthew Fox playing a ripped-out-of-his-mind villain.  This poster boasts one of the worst taglines we’ve seen in a long time, and I’d be inclined to believe it was fake had it not premiered on a major website.  Anyway, “Don’t Cross Alex Cross” when Alex Cross hits theaters on October 26th.

Additionally, a new poster for the comedy Hope Springs has surfaced.  From director David Frankel, the film stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a married couple who go to see a therapist (Steve Carell) in order to work out their issues.  This poster proves that the film definitely knows its audience, as “from the director of The Devil Wears Prada” is positioned just above the title.  Hope Springs opens on August 10th.  Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Steve Carell has moved up from The 40 Year Old Virgin to a marriage counselor for Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep in Hope Springs.  The film, formerly titled Great Hope Springs, centers on Arnold (Jones) and Maeve (Streep) Soames, a middle-aged couple who find that their marriage has gone stale after 30 years.  In a last ditch effort to save their relationship, they seek the help of marriage counselor Dr. Bernie Feld (Carell).  The trailer has some great character moments and it’s nice to see Jones and Streep playing some plain old ordinary people for a change, though they play them rather well.  Hope Springs, written by Vanessa Taylor (Game of Thrones), will reunite Streep with The Devil Wears Prada director, David Frankel.  The romantic comedy, which opens August 10th, also stars Elisabeth Shue and Jean Smart. Hit the jump to see the trailer and poster for Hope Springs.