The film, which reunites Neeson with his The A-Team director Joe Carnahan, opened with an estimated $20 million.  Projections leading into the weekend had The Grey earning more like $15 million, so this is quite a strong showing.  Granted, $20 million is a bit less than the openings of Taken and Unknown, those were both PG-13 efforts, while this one is thoroughly R rated and has a more demographically-limited appeal.

The Grey is the second release from Open Road Films, the nascent distribution company formed by huge theater chains Regal and AMC.  This new film is looking like a much better deal than last year's Killer Elite, which grossed $25.1 million in its entire domestic run.

Of this weekend's other two new release, One For the Money opened stronger, coming in third place behind Underworld Awakening.  That sequel declined just about 50% from its first showing last weekend, earning an estimated $12.5 million and bringing its ten-day total to $45.1 million.  One For the Money, meanwhile, opened with $11.7 million.  The film was the second from Lionsgate to use a Groupon email promotion after it worked out well for last year's The Lincoln Lawyer.

The Katherine Heigl-led film is an adaptation of the novel by Janet Evanovich, the first to feature recurring protagonist Stephanie Plum.  The popularity of Plum and the Groupon promotion both helped One For the Money to find its principally female audience and perform well above some predictions of absolute failure.

Last week's Tuskegee Airmen action-drama Red Tails brought its ten-day total to $33.7 in fourth place, outpacing new release Man on a Ledge.  The thriller starring Sam Worthington opened very much in line with expectations, earning an estimated $8.3 million since Friday.  The film's healthy promotional push didn't manage to sell the concept behind Man on a Ledge, despite the presence of a familiar ensemble cast.

Elsewhere, The Descendants added 1, 441 new locations and accordingly, the film jumped 176% from last weekend, hopping up from sixteenth to seventh place.  The addition of so many new locations was no doubt done with the expectation that the film's Oscar nominations would increase interest, and allowed the film to add an estimated $6.5 million for a $58.8 million total.

Outside of the top ten, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol fell from eighth to eleveneth, but managed to bring its global total to $571.6 million.  While its domestic total still trails that of 2000's Mission: Impossible 2, the worldwide figure now makes the live-action directorial debut of Brad Bird this biggest entry in the theatrical franchise that began 15 years ago.

Here are the top ten estimated films from the weekend of January 27th-29th:

1. The Grey                                                           $20.0 million        New Release

2. Underworld Awakening                                    $12.5 million        $45.1 million

3. One For the Money                                           $11.7 million        New Release

4. Red Tails                                                           $10.4 million        $33.7 million

5. Man on a Ledge                                                $8.3 million         New Release

6. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close                  $7.1 million         $21.1 million

7. The Descendants                                              $6.55 million        $58.8 million

8. Contranband                                                    $6.5 million         $56.4 million

9. Beauty and the Beast 3D                                 $5.3 million        $41.1 million

10. Haywire                                                          $4.0 million         $15.2 million

Next weekend sees new releases Big Miracle, The Woman in Black, The Inkeepers, and Chronicle.