'Lakeview Terrace' scares off competition with $15.6m debut, Sept. 19-21, 2008

While Americans were digesting a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street this weekend, they opted to sulk their sorrows with Samuel L. Jackson's thriller Lakeview Terrace, which fended off three newcomers for the top spot.

Sony Screen Gems' Lakeview Terrace thrilled audiences with a $15.6 million debut, averaging an impressive $6,331 in 2,464 theaters. Budgeted at a modest $20 million, the PG-13 pic shrugged off poor reviews thanks to a big marketing push from Sony. Directed by Neil LaBute, critics polled by Rottentomatoes.com gave the film a "rotten" 40% recommendation rating.

Last week's champ Burn After Reading slipped one notch to second, falling 41% to $11.3 million. In ten days the $37 million budgeted Coen Brothers release has grossed $36.4 million. At its current pace, look for the Focus Features release to finish with $60-65 million domestic.

Is the Dane Cook experiment finally finished? One hopes so, as his latest romantic comedy disaster My Best Friend's Girl disappointed with an estimated $8.3 million in third. Averaging a weak $3,187 in 2,604 theaters, the $20 million budgeted Lions Gate release opened far below his last film Good Luck Chuck, which opened to $13.7 million last year. The film was by far the most poorly-reviewed release this weekend, with just 6% of critics polled by Rottentomatoes.com giving the film a positive recommendation rating.

Debuting in fourth was MGM's computer-animated comedy Igor, which took in $8 million in 2,339 theaters for a not so great $3,425 average. Budgeted at $30 million the film was poorly received by critics.

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino's Righteous Kill fell 54% to $7.7 million in fifth, bringing its ten-day cume to $28.8 million. The $60 million budgeted Overture Films release should finish with $40 million domestic.

The best reviewed new release was also the weakest, as the Ricky Gervais comedy Ghost Town took in $5.2 million in eighth, averaging $3,436 in 1,505 theaters. Costarring Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni, the $20m Dreamworks release saw significantly less mainstream advertising than both Lakeview and My Best Friend's Girl. Paramount distributed the picture.

In limited release, Paramount Vantage's Keira Knightley starrer The Duchess grossed $203,000 in seven theaters, averaging an impressive $28,932.

With four new release, the top ten films grossed an estimated $74.6 million, down 1% from last year's comparable frame when Resident Evil: Extinction debuted at No. 1 with $23.7 million.