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SATURDAY PM: These kinds of movies are so demeaning to women when the wife and a deranged "other woman" catfight over a man. But there's no denying that female filmgoers love this winning formula. (Remember the big box office of its inspiration, Fatal Attraction?) So it was no surprise to Hollywood that Screen Gems/Sony's Obsessed starring Beyoncé did so well Friday and Saturday, opening No. 1 to $11.2 million both days in North American grosses from 2,515 theaters for what was an overperforming $26M weekend. Amazing, since the studio claims it cost only $20M and was expecting only $18M. This was the 2nd biggest Screen Gems opening ever. The pic did best with female audiences under 25, followed by females over 25.

By contrast, Rogue/Universal's pummel pic Fighting with star of tomorrow Channing Tatum (of the upcoming G.I. Joe) appealed to males under 25 and debuted in 2nd place to $4.5 million Friday from 2,310 venues for a projected $11M weekend. That's in line with expectations for this formulaic he-man genre.

No. 3 went to the Zac Efron starrer 17 Again from New Line/Warner Bros with $3.9 million (down 60% from its opening last Friday) from 3,255 dates but could jump into 2nd place if its weekend tally reaches $12M for a new cume of $30M.

For months, there's been curiosity about how the DreamWorks/Paramount inspirational pic The Soloist would fare in theaters. This Robert Downey Jr/Jamie Foxx starrer was supposed to be released for Academy Award consideration in 2008, but Paramount delayed its debut in order to keep the spotlight and marketing on its two Oscar hopefuls The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road.  (Needless to say, DreamWorks was not amused...) The much-buzzed pic is based on the real life relationship between a Los Angeles Times columnist and a genius violinist who's also homeless. But The Soloist opened in 4th place Friday with $3.2 million from 2,024 runs for what should be an underperforming $9M. It proved a challenge to convince people the film wasn't a downer. The audience was led by females over 25 followed by males over 25 with some interest from, surprisingly, males under 25.

Disney's environmental documentary Earth (2009) opened, appropriately enough, on Wednesday which was Earth Day. It earned $2.9 million Friday from 1,804 plays for 5th place and a predicted $9.5M weekend. It's the first documentary from the Disneynature imprint and follows three animal families with impressive photography.

It's surprising how quickly Universal's journalism thriller State Of Play starring Russell Crowe and based on the BBC miniseries faded in a week after a disappointing opener because the studio really thought this pic would have legs. In the 6th spot, it made only $2 million (-55%) Friday from 2,807 theaters for what should be just a $6.5M weekend and new cume of a mere $24.7M. 

Overall, box office looks in the low $90sM -- +5% from last year. Starting May 1st, the summer blockbusters!

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