The frame's other new release, the cannibal thriller Hannibal Rising, debuted on Friday with an estimated $4.8M in its first day in theaters. Released by MGM and The Weinstein Co., the violent revenge pic looks to bite into $13-15M for the Friday-to-Sunday span.

Among holdovers, Friday-to-Friday declines were 41% for Because I Said So, 61% for The Messengers, and 27% for Night at the Museum.

The top ten films grossed an estimated $26.7M on Friday dropping 12% from a year ago when Final Destination 3 opened to $7.4M on its way to a $19.2M weekend putting it in second place after The Pink Panther's $20.2M three-day bow. The marketplace is on course to suffer its fifth consecutive down weekend when compared to last year's grosses.

Be sure to read the NEW Oscar Spotlight column which features a one-on-one interview with Days of Glory producer Jean Bréhat. Check in every Friday for a new interview that goes behind the scenes of some of the most acclaimed films up for this year's Academy Awards.

Listen to the NEW weekly podcast Projectionz featuring The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen, Box Office magazine's Wade Major, and BoxOfficeGuru.com's Gitesh Pandya. A new episode is available each Friday for free download from the Apple iTunes Store.

For a NEW review of Hannibal Rising visit The Chief Report.