The number one film at the close of this weekend is - maybe - The Last Exorcism. The estimate as of Sunday night for the Lionsgate horror flick was $21.3 million, a very decent number considering the film's under-$10 million budget. Produced by Eli Roth and Strike Entertainment, The Last Exorcism proved once again that you really can't go wrong with good marketing and a possessed girl. Lionsgate reported the budget as being in the $1-2 million range, but other outlets put it closer to $8 million. Nevertheless, the film can already be considered a success, even if its Cinemascore rating was a disastrous D (translation: audiences hated it). Expect a monumental plunge next weekend.

Coming in second was the weekend's sole other wide release, Sony's Takers, with $21 million. As I said, the real winner won't be known until all the numbers are counted, but like The Last Exorcism, Takers can be considered a winner based on expectations and budget (reportedly around $20 million). The crime drama has sat on the shelf for at least a year, but audiences obviously didn't care too much about that, having been drawn to the film's eclectic cast, which includes actors like Matt Dillon, Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen, as well as R&B singers like Chris Brown and T.I. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the performance of Takers is the fact that it opened in only 2,206 theaters (about 600 less than The Last Exorcism), good for $9,510 per screen average. It'll very likely drop precipitously next weekend as well, although I don't expect the fall-off to match the one The Last Exorcism has waiting for it.

Oh, how could I forget - Avatar was re-released in 812 3D theaters, and grossed approximately $4 million. Not exactly the windfall 20th Century Fox probably hoped for.

Last weekend's holdovers have nothing to be happy about: Vampires Suck fell 56%, grossing only around $5 million. (Sadly, this is still going to end up a winner for 20th Century Fox, thanks to its cheapness.) The Switch dropped 44%, with a gross of $16 million so far. Piranha 3D dropped a heavy 57%, gathering $18 million total (apparently good enough for a sequel greenlight). Lottery Ticket fell a deadly 62%, making $17 million up to this point. Finally, Nanny McPhee had maybe the best second weekend (although obviously that's not saying much) falling 43% with $17 million in the bank. It can still hang its hat on the fact that it's huge overseas, having made $62 million internationally.

Next week brings us George Clooney in The American and Danny Trejo in Machete. Battle of the hunks! ;)

Title..... Weekend Gross..... Total Cume.....

1. - The Last Exorcism - $21,300,000 - $21,300,000
2. - Takers - $21,000,000 - $21,000,000
3. - The Expendables - $9,500,000 - $82,010,000
4. - Eat Pray Love - $7,000,000 - $60,716,000
5. - The Other Guys - $6,600,000 - $99,300,000
6. - Vampires Suck - $5,300,000 - $27,912,000
7. - Inception - $5,105,000 - $270,749,000
8. - Nanny McPhee Returns $4,743,000 - $17,020,000
9. - The Switch - $4,658,000 - $16,484,000
10. - Piranha 3D - $4,308,000 - $18,272,000

Source: Box Office Mojo