Friday Box Office – MONEYBALL Delivers First Place Finish with $6.8 Million

Now that is a title I never thought I would write.  Two years ago it looked like Sony’s tale of baseball underdogs was dead in the water, but look at Moneyball now!  Number one on Friday with an estimated $6.8 million and almost guaranteed to win the weekend with a projected $20 million.  That is a bit higher than original studio estimates and, if achieved, would give Moneyball the biggest opening ever for a baseball-themed feature.  At number two after its big re-release last weekend is Disney’s The Lion King 3D, which means that the new family heart-warmer, Dolphin Tale, had to settle for third and an estimated $5.1 million.  The weekend’s third and fourth new releases round out the top five: Lionsgate’s Abduction, with Taylor Lautner, scored an estimated $3.8 million while Killer Elite, with Jason Statham and Clive Owen, was not far behind with $3.4 million.  Both films are currently looking at an opening of $11 million or so.  Details and analysis tomorrow.