Friday Box Office – CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS Rules; JENNIFER’S BODY Washes out

Of this weekend’s four new films, there wasn’t much doubt about who was going to claim the top spot on Friday.  In the wake of the R-rated revolution of August, Sony’s family-friendly “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” had a good shot at a great opening weekend even without the added attraction of the toon’s 3D format.  The studio was hoping for a weekend total around $20 million but, after adjusting their expectations as Friday’s numbers rolled in, it looks like the final 3-day tally will be closer to $30 million.  20^th Century Fox also had to adjust their expectations after Friday’s debut of “Jennifer’s Body”.  The long-awaited Megan Fox/Diablo Cody horror-hybrid debuted with a truly dismal $2.8 million… not quite the second place finish that many predicted.  Second went instead to Steven Soderbergh’s “The Informant!”, though at only $3.6 million no one at Warner Brothers is doing back-flips.  And the news wasn’t much better for Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart in “Love Happens”.  To watch Hollywood’s A-listers suffocate further under Sony’s falling food, check back tomorrow.