Woo-hoo.  Folks, it looks like 2011 has indeed soared to its first big weekend win in months on the wings of Fox’s Rio.  The 3D animated toon rose from the ashes of a lower than expected Friday figure to earn an estimated $40 million for the three day frame.  Unfortunately, there was not a lot of love left over for Wes Craven’s Scream 4 but, no matter!  The weekend should still end up ahead of last year by approximately 12%.

Remember how box office watchers were counting on this weekend to become 2011’s very first big winner?  A frame whose combined grosses would finally top 2010’s?  With two high profile releases – Rio and Scream 4 – that seemed a reasonable conclusion and it still appears doable.  Unfortunately, Friday’s estimates suggest that it will not be the unqualified rout we expected considering that last April’s strongest contender was Kick-Ass.  Fox is reporting a $10.2 million opening for Rio from 3,826 locations (well over half of those in 3D).  That is not much above the $9.6 million debut of the year’s top opener Rango, which had no 3D price boost in its favor.  Projections originally put Rio above Rango’s weekend total but it now appears that the toon will end up well below that $38.1 figure.  Meanwhile Scream 4, which many believed would win Friday, pulled in an estimated $8.3 million from 3,305 locations.  That puts the sequel on track for a $22 million weekend – well below even the most conservative early projections.  Finally, three films are statistically tied for fourth place with Soul Surfer, Hanna and Arthur all estimated in the $2.1 million range for Friday while The Conspirator debuted at number ten with $1.7 million.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

Four new releases hit theatres this weekend, including one that was marketed to within an inch of its life.  Still, year-to-year grosses will be down once again by almost 10% and it was a holdover that took the number one title.  Universal’s Hop earned an estimated $21.7 million to put it on top of the US box office for the second week in a row.

It looks like a good news/bad news kind of morning for Russell Brand.  The good news is that his voice-only role in last weekend’s number one film Hop will give Brand a second weekend on top of the US box office.  The bad news?  Warner Brothers’ highly-promoted Arthur redux – the film in which he actually gets his face on film – wasn’t particularly aided by the comedian’s recent PR blitz.  The widest of this weekend’s four new releases, Arthur earned an estimated $4.5 million to Hop’s $5.5 million.  Arthur’s mediocre showing was counterbalanced by two Friday overachievers.  Focus features’ Hanna took in an estimated $4.2 million while Sony’s inspirational shark-attack biopic Soul Surfer earned $3.7 million in 2,214 locations.  That just leaves us with Universal’s Your Highness.  How this R-rated comedy from David Gordon Green and Danny McBride wound up nearly tied on a Friday night with a movie about a one-armed surfer is beyond me.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

Last weekend featured the live-action/animated comedy Hop as 2011’s highest grossing debut so far. Will Russell Brand strike gold two weeks in a row when his remake of Arthur hits the screens this weekend? Perhaps a new contender will take the box office crown. It could be the assassin-centric suspense thriller Hanna, or the uplifting tale of a shark attack survivor in Soul Surfer. But my money’s on the raunchy fantasy comedy Your Highness, starring Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman.

Hit the jump for synopses and trailers for these headliners as well as our coverage on such limited releases as Ceremony, Henry’s Crime and Meek’s Cutoff.

In the real-life drama Soul Surfer, inspired by teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack, country superstar Carrie Underwood makes her feature acting debut as Sara Hill, the youth group leader who helped Bethany realize she could make a difference in the lives of others. When Sara took Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) to Phuket, Thailand just after the devastating tsunami there, the teenager discovered a greater purpose that filled her with a new sense of hope and direction, and gave her a renewed determination to become a champion again.

At the film’s press day, Carrie Underwood talked about why she wanted to be a part of this inspiration story, how she could identify with looking to her faith to help get her through tough times, how encouraging AnnaSophia Robb was, as a co-star, and how her love for music is as strong as the Hamilton family’s love for surfing. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

The inspiring drama Soul Surfer tells the true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb), who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again. What could have been a devastating lose for her and her family quickly became a headline-making story. Through determination and faith, Bethany refused to allow the life-changing event that took her arm also take her dream of becoming a professional surfer and, with the love and support of her parents (played by Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid), she discovered that she could make a difference in the lives of others, all over the world.

At the film’s press day, actress AnnaSophia Robb did this exclusive interview with Collider, in which she talked about the pressure of playing someone who actually requested you for the role, overcoming her own fear of sharks, falling in love with surfing and the ocean, and how becoming friends with Bethany has given her a new perspective on life. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

A trailer for veteran television director Sean McNamara’s (personal favorite Even Stevens) Soul Surfer has landed online.  Starring AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia), Dennis Quaid, and Helen Hunt, the sports drama tells the true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack in 2003 only to return to the top of the competitive surfing world by 2005.

To check out the trailer for yourself, hit the jump.  Soul Surfer opens April 8th.

Sony Pictures has released the first image from the upcoming sports drama Soul Surfer.  The film tells “the true story of competitive teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, inspiring millions worldwide through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.”  Soul Surfer stars Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb, and Carrie Underwood.

Hit the jump to check out the first image from the movie.  Soul Surfer is slated to open on April 15, 2011.

Past American Idol winner and current best-selling country singer Carrie Underwood is set to make the jump to movies by co-starring in the indie drama Soul Surfer, the story of teen surfing champ/shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton.  According to Variety, the film is based on Hamilton’s biography and stars AnnaSophia Robb (Race to Witch Mountain) as the young surfer who “defied all odds to compete and win professional championships after losing her arm in a shark attack at age 13.”  Underwood plays the role of a church youth leader.  Out of curiosity, who was the ass-hole making odds and taking bets against the one-armed girl trying to become a surfing champion?

Directed by Sean McNamara (Bratz), the film co-stars Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Lorraine Nicholson and Kevin Sorbo.