‘Lakeview Terrace’ takes the top spot

In another weak weekend, the Sony Screen Gems’ thriller “Lakeview Terrace” with Samuel L. Jackson took the top spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $15.6 million.

“Lakeview Terrace” follows a Los Angeles cop who decides he doesn’t like his new neighbors and encourages them to move. The film (which also stars Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson) had a production budget of $20 million, and was produced by Will Smith and James Lassiter.In Variety, Sony prexy of domestic distribution Rory Bruer stated: “This is a movie that will be highly successful for us. It’s great to be partners with Overbrook, while Sam Jackson hit it out of the park.”The Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading” dropped 41% in its second weekend, but managed to hold the No. 2 spot with an estimated $11.3 million. The film has earned an estimated $36.4 million in its first 10 days.Although the film dropped, Focus Features are reportedly happy with how the film is doing at the big screen.In Variety, Focus distribution prexy Jack Foley stated: “To have a drop of only 41% shows how great word of mouth is. It was just a great weekend.” The Lionsgate romantic comedy “My Best Friend’s Girl” (with genre veteran Kate Hudson and comedian Dane Cook) took the No. 3 spot with an estimated $8.3 million. The R-rated comedy came in a little less than expected.The family animated flick “Igor” took in an estimated $8 million to claim the No. 4 spot. The film was produced by Exodus Film Group and was distributed by MGM. The cop film "Righteous Kill” – which teamed film icons Al Pacino and Robert De Nero – claimed the No. 5 spot with an estimated $7.7 million. The Overture Films movie dropped 57% in its second weekend, and has earned $28.8 million in its first 10 days.Some of film’s decline could be blamed on the release of “Lakeview Terrace” which offered fans another cop thriller to go see.The Picturehouse drama “The Women” dropped 48% in its second weekend and earned an estimated $5.3 million. The film managed to take the No. 7 place and has earned an estimated $19.2 million in its first 10 days. “Ghost Town” from DreamWorks/Paramount and Spyglass took the No. 8 spot with an estimated $5.2 million. The comedy stars Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear, and has received positive reviews from critics.