The Town

The Town (blackxperience.com)

Way to go, Ben Affleck!

The actor’s heist thriller, “The Town,” had succeeded in becoming the talk of box office over the weekend. The movie surprisingly opened with $23.8 million, and took the No. 1 spot from “Resident Evil: Afterlife” on Sunday.

The movie, which Affleck both directed and stars in, is his first box-office win since “Daredevil.” Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm were also in the cast. In the new film, Affleck plays the brains among a gang of robbers, who complicates things by falling for a bank teller caught up in one of their heists.

The film got a boost in the last 10 days from a well-received premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and from strong reviews. But it actually had been expected to open at No. 2 in the $15 million to $20 million range.

Came in second was Emma Stone’s “Easy A,’ that was expected by some to take the top spot. But being on second place is not a truly disappointment, as the movie grossed $18.2 million, more than twice its budget.

At No. 3 was a horror movie titled “Devil,” from M. Night Shyamalan, which took home $12.6 million. Last weekend’s champ, “Resident Evil: Afterlife” starring Milla Jovovich, dropped to No. 4 with $10.1 million; its 10-day total stands at $44 million. The fourth entry in the zombie franchise remained No. 1 at the international box office after a $38.7 million weekend in 48 markets took its total to $103 million.

Another newcomer, the low-budget 3D cartoon “Alpha and Omega” sat at No. 5 with $9.2 million. The animation marks the debut co-production between distributor Lionsgate and Indian animation house Crest Entertainment.

Here’s a complete list of the weekend’s top-grossing films, per Friday-Sunday estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. “The Town,” $23.8 million.
2. “Easy A,” 18.2 million.
3. “Devil,” $12.6 million.
4. “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” $10.1 million.
5. “Alpha and Omega,” $9.2 million.
6. “Takers,” $3 million.
7. “The American,” $2.8 million.
8. “Inception,” $2 million.
9. “The Other Guys,” $2 million.
10. “Machete,” $1.7 million.

Well done. Congrats to Ben and the rest of The Town!