While many thought The Grey would top the US box office, not that many believed the R-rated thriller would hit $20 million in its first three days, but with the drawing power of Liam Neeson and a fairly clear premise, it’s done just that.
One For The Money, starring Katherine Heigl, beat out modest expectations for a third place finish in its first three days with $11.7 million. There had been hope this adaptation of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels would be the start of a franchise, but it’s going to have to make a fair bit more cash around the world to make that worthwhile.
The only other new entry was Man On A Ledge, which took a soft $8.3 million. Many are blaming this on muddled marketing, as the Sam Worthington flick got decent reviews.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of January 27th-29th.
| Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| The Grey | $20.0 | $20.0 |
| Underworld Awakening | $12.5 | $42.1 |
| One For The Money | $11.7 | $11.7 |
| Red Tails | $10.4 | $33.7 |
| Man On A Ledge | $8.3 | $8.3 |
| Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | $7.1 | $21.1 |
| The Descendants | $6.5 | $58.8 |
| Contraband | $6.5 | $56.4 |
| Beauty and the Beast | $5.3 | $41.1 |
| Haywire | $4.0 | $15.2 |
Despite a critical drubbing and worries about franchise fatigue, Underworld Awakening has fought through to top the US box office in its first weekend, taking a respectable $25.4 million. That’s a little ahead on Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans, although that movie didn’t have Kate Beckinsale or a boost from premium price 3D ticket sales.
Although Martin Luther King Day is a four day weekend in the US, it isn’t one of the particularly big holidays for cinema-going. That said, the Mark Wahlberg starring Contraband did pretty well, scoring a $28.8 million debut to top the chart.