Saturday update:
Never say never, baby ... oh baby.
Paramount's quickly-slapped-together Justin Bieber 3D concert movie "Never Say Never" had a solid debut at the domestic box office Friday, pushing aside pre-release tracking forecasts that were all over the map and grossing a big $12.3 million on its first day.
The $13 million teenebopper-targeted film is on pace to exceed $30 million for the weekend, a total that would rival the big $31.5 million start for Disney's Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert film three years ago.
Sony's Adam Sandler romantic comedy "Just Go With It" came in second, grossing $9.7 million. The PG-13-rated film, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, is projected by its studio to make in the high-$20 million range for the weekend -- a forecast it'll probably match.
However, most tracking firms predicted a first-weekend gross of more than $30 million for the poorly reviewed "Just Go With It."
The film cost Sony about $80 million to produce, according to published reports.
In third place, Disney's CG-animated "Gnomeo & Juliet" grossed a solid $6.1 million, taking advantage of the fact that it's the first kid-targeted movie to enter the market in about two months.
The G-rated movie is expected to defy tracking forecast and exceed $20 million for the weekend.
Unable to defy the gravity of its tracking, however, Focus' Roman-warrior-themed "The Eagle" starring Channing Tatum got off to a soft $2.7 million start Friday, matching downer forecasts of around $6 million-$8 million.
The film cost only around $25 million to make.
Here's the complete top 10:
"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" ($12.3m)
"Just Go With It" ($9.7m)
"Gnomeo & Juliet" ($6.1m)
"The Roommate" ($2.6m)
"The Eagle" ($2.7m)
"The King's Speech" ($1.9m)
"Sanctum" ($1.4m)
"True Grit" ($953k)
"The Green Hornet" ($888k)
More to come...
Thursday preview:
Never say never ... unless you're predicting that a Justin Bieber 3D concert movie is going to beat an Adam Sandler romantic comedy at the weekend box office.
That ain't gonna happen.
Sandler's latest Sony comedy, the PG-13-rated "Just Go With It," is being projected by tracking firms to open to over $30 million at the domestic box office this weekend, with Paramount's "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" finishing a distant second with projected grosses that vary widely.
Early awareness levels led some box-office watchers to conclude that the quickly assembled Bieber movie could approach the $31.1 million total acheived by the February 2008 opening of Disney's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour."
The more downer comparison would be the Jonas Brothers' 3D concert movie in 2009, which opened to only $12.5 million.
Two other movies open widely this weekend: Disney's kiddie targeted "Gnomeo and Juliet" and Focus' Channing Tatum-led Roman Army action film "The Eagle."
