'Fool's Gold' finds treasure with $22m, Feb. 8-10, 2008

Though it didn't hit How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days kind of money ($23.8m), it was close enough, as the big screen reunion of Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson in Fool's Gold topped the box office with a strong $22 million opening this weekend. Martin Lawrence's comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins debuted in second with an impressive $17.1 million.

Warner's big budget romantic comedy Fool's Gold delivered on the studio's heavy marketing blitz, finishing the weekend at No. 1 with $22 million, averaging a strong $7,043 in 3,125 theaters. Budgeted at $70 million, the Mathew McConaughey-Kate Hudson starrer proved to be immune from an outright bludgeoning by critics. Critics polled by Rottentomates.com gave the film a "rotten" 10% recommendation rating. The pair's previous collaboration, 2003's popular How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, opened to $23.8 million on its way to an amazing $105.8 million domestically.

Directed by Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch), Fool's Gold will become the second biggest opening of Hudson's career if estimates hold. It would be McConaughey's third biggest film behind 2006's Failure to Launch ($24.4m) and 2003's How to Lose a Guy ($23.8m).

Martin Lawrence's raucous comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins took in an estimated $17.1 million in 2,386 theaters, averaging a top ten second best $7,180. Released by Universal, the PG-13 pic carried a modest budget of $35 million. The opening was almost identical to last month's First Sunday, which starred Ice Cube and took in $17.7 million.

Hannah Montana's second set wasn't as impressive as the first, but it still netted the Disney starlet a third place finish this weekend with $10.5 million. Falling a steep 66% (a great number considering the film was only expected to show for one week), last week's champ still managed to average a sizzling $15,295 per theater, in just 687 theaters across North America. In ten days of release, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds has amassed $53.4 million. Budgeted at a measly $7 million, the 3D concert/movie should net the mouse house a cool $75 million domestically.

Jessica Alba's horror remake The Eye fell an impressive 47% (for horror pic standards) to $6.6 million, bringing its ten day take to $21.5 million. Released by Lionsgate, the $22 million budgeted film should net the studio a decent $35 million domestically.

Fox Searchlight's Juno slipped just 18% thanks to star Ellen Page hitting virtually every magazine cover on the stands this weekend, finishing with $5.7 million. In ten weeks, the film has grossed an incredible $117.6 million.

In the "that really opened this weekend?" category, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour debuted with just $507,000 in 962 theaters to finish in 24th place.
The R-rated Picturehouse release just beat out Colin Farrell's well-received hitman thriller In Bruges, which debuted in limited release with $471,000 in just 28 theaters.