'True Grit' rides tall, claims top spot with $15M
LOS ANGELES — “True Grit” seized the reins at the weekend box office with $15 million, taking the No. 1 spot and becoming the first Western to top the $100 million mark since the 1990s, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
The Paramount release starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon bumped off Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller’s comedy “Little Fockers,” which was No. 1 for the previous two weekends. Released by Universal, “Little Fockers” slipped to second with $13.8 million, raising its total to $124 million.
“True Grit,” which was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, lifted its total to $110.4 million.
Among newcomers, Nicolas Cage’s supernatural thriller “Season of the Witch” opened at No. 3 with $10.7 million. Distributed by Relativity Media, the movie stars Cage as a knight in the Middle Ages escorting a suspected witch to her trial.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s country-music drama “Country Strong” premiered at No. 6 with $7.3 million.
“True Grit” is a new take on Charles Portis’ novel, previously adapted in a 1969 version that earned John Wayne an Academy Award. Bridges stars as lawman Rooster Cogburn, hired by a 14-year-old girl to track down her father’s killer.
