Weekend Box Office: Sharks Defeated by Southern Ladies

Last week, we saw some exceptionally low numbers for the box office as Hurricane Irene kept those on the East Coast indoors and away from the movie theaters. So this week, the openers from that wet weekend were probably hoping for strong holdovers to make up for the losses. Did they get what they wanted?

In a word, nope.

"The Help" took first place yet again, despite going into its fourth weekend. Over the three-day weekend, the movie pulled in an estimated $14.2 million, which could jump up to $18 million after the four-day weekend. The movie has been an absolute powerhouse considering its modest budget and minimal advertising, pulling in over $120 million to date.

Second place fell to "The Debt," a new political thriller with Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, and Jessica Chastain. The movie received generally positive reviews, which helped it to bring in a decent $9.7 million over the three-day weekend. With its early release, the movie could bring in more than $14 million by the end of the Labor Day weekend.

Essentially tied at third were the other two big openers for the weekend, "Shark Night 3D" and "Apollo 18." Neither movie received positive reviews, which is not a surprise for "Shark Night 3D" but might have hurt "Apollo 18." The moon monster horror flick pulled in about $8.7 million over the weekend, while the killer shark fest drew about $8.6 million. The gap should widen following tomorrow's earnings, unless "Shark Night" sees a surge.

In fifth place was "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" with $7.8M, which means that last week's openers "Colombiana," "Our Idiot Brother" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" didn't see too many audience members running to theaters to see them after missing last weekend due to the storms. However, "Brother" fell less than 40% in its second weekend, and "Colombiana" had a decent holdover as well. "Dark" didn't fare quite as well, with a 57% drop.

1. "The Help" - $14.2M 3-day, $18M 4-day estimate
2. "The Debt" - $9.7M 3-day, $12M 4-day estimate
3. "Apollo 18" - $8.7M 3-day, $11M 4-day estimate
4. "Shark Night 3D" - $8.6M 3-day, $10.5M 4-day estimate
5. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - $7.8M 3-day, $10M 4-day estimate