The Box-Office Top Five

credit: mtv.com

#1 “The Last Exorcism” ($9.4 million)
#2 “Takers” ($7.5 million)
#3 “The Expendables” ($2.7 million)
#4 “Eat Pray Love” ($ 2.2 million)
#5 “The Other Guys” ($1.9 million)

“The Last Exorcism” scared up major ticket sales on its opening day. The supernatural horror flick raked in an estimated $9.4 million on Friday. “Exorcism,” which is directed by Daniel Stamm and boasts gore-master Eli Roth of the “Hostel” series fame as a producer, drew enough moviegoers to grab the top spot. The film, which follows a documentary crew in rural Louisiana hired to capture the creepy antics of a supposedly possessed young girl, goes light on digital wizardry in favor of scoring scares with practical effects.

In the second place slot is the star-studded heist flick “Takers.” T.I., Chris Brown, Idris Elba, Hayden Christensen and Matt Dillon work the screen in a story about a crew of suave thieves set to carry out a major job. The thriller snatched $7.5 million in Friday ticket sales.

Sliding to third place is the heavily-armed action fest “The Expendables.” The fiery, butt-kicking flick raised $2.7 million on Friday, after ruling the box office for the past two weeks and sitting comfortably at the top spot. Friday’s haul edges the total domestic tally of the Sylvester Stallone-helmed enterprise near the $75 million mark.

“Eat Pray Love,” featuring marquee vet Julia Roberts, settled into fourth place. The soul-searching movie adapted from the runaway hit memoir of the same name, nabbed $2.2 million in box office receipts on Friday. The loopy cop comedy “The Other Guys” continues to power along, taking in $1.9 million and rounding out Friday’s top movies in the fifth-place slot.

Although “Avatar” wears the crown for the highest-grossing film ever, the re-release of the James Cameron adventure, revamped with previously unreleased footage, failed to crack the top ten with only $1.2 million in Friday ticket sales.