'The Vow' tops box office results, Feb. 10 - 12, as 'Phantom Menace 3D' finishes 4th

"Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" flew into threaters in 3D on Friday, Feb. 10, but the Force was not strong enough with this film, as it was held out of the first place rank in this weekend's box office results by no less than three other films, including the No. 1 film, "The Vow."

Perhaps it was partly the timing. Lucas timed the release of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D)" for the weekend before Valentine's Day. At the same time, "The Vow," a romantic drama, was timed for the same weekend, which couldn't have been better for that film. With that, "The Vow" came in atop the domestic box office for the weekend of Feb. 10-12, with an estimated total of $41.7 million.

Denzel Washington's film, "Safe House," took second place for the weekend. The action film also stars Ryan Reynolds ("Green Lantern"). Washington plays Tobin Frost, a rogue ex-CIA agent. Reynolds plays young CIA-operative Matt Weston, who eventually goes on the run with Frost when their safe house is attacked. At No. 2, it took in $39.3 million over the weekend.

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" produced a slight upset at No. 3. Many had expected "The Phantom Menace (in 3D)" to drop in at No. 3, but it was bested by the new Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) movie. This is a sequel, of sorts, for the 2008 movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth" which starred Brendan Fraser. Josh Hutcherson returns as Sean Alexander, but Johnson's character replaces Fraser in a different role. Vanessa Hudgens also stars, which could explain the attraction for some. "Journey 2" brought in $27.5 million for the weekend.

At No. 4 was "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D)." The first of George Lucas' prequels for the original Star Wars trilogy took in $23 million, nothing to sneeze at. This particular franchise entry was a great disappointment to audiences in 1999, although it was still a box office success. Still, Jar Jar Binks is still around, and in 3D now, which might be still more horrifying to theater-goers.

Finally, rounding out the top five was last week's No. 1 film, Chronicle. It dropped about 44 percent from last week's take, to $12.3 million. That brought its two week take to $40,167,000. Chronicle is a film that shows a group of teens that gain superpowers, and shows that in "real life," becoming a super-hero and using your powers responsibly may not be what really happens.

The top 10 list for the weekend of Feb. 10 - 12 is shown below.

1 The Vow $41,700,000
2 Safe House $39,300,000
3 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island $27,550,000
4 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D) $23,000,000
5 Chronicle (2012) $12,300,000
6 The Woman in Black $10,300,000
7 The Grey $5,080,000
8 Big Miracle $3,900,000
9 The Descendants $3,500,000
10 Underworld Awakening $2,500,000

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

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