For the second Friday in a row comedy is king at the box office. The Other Guys, the latest effort from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, pulled in an estimated $13.2 million in its debut at 3,650 locations. That puts the action comedy on track for a $35 million weekend - easily enough to knock off Inception as the country’s number one film after three weeks. Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster was third on Friday, though its continued staying power should afford it a second place finish by Sunday. Which brings us to Step Up 3D. The dance extravaganza launched in 2,435 locations on Friday – a big 75% of which featured all three glorious dimensions. The sequel’s estimated first day take was $6.6 million: the same amount that Step Up 2 the Streets made on day one back in February 2008. That points to a third place finish in the $16 million range for the weekend. That's higher than I expected for a movie with no plot... even one in 3D.

Title

Friday

Total

1

The Other Guys

$13,200,000

$13.2

2

Step Up 3D

$6,600,000

$6.6

3

Inception

$5,600,000

$214.7

4

Dinner for Schmucks

$3,400,000

$39.6

5

Salt

$3,300,000

$84.1