"Act of Valor" tops weekend box office

(CBS/AP) On Oscar weekend, "Act of Valor," the action film starring real, active-duty U.S. Navy SEALS, topped the weekend box office, earning $24.7 million according to studio estimates Sunday.

"How often can you repeat the same heroes that are big stars pretending to be heroes?" said Kyle Davies, president of worldwide distribution for Relativity Media, who made the film. "I think moviegoers are ready for a new, fresh experience."

"Act of Valor" led another strong weekend at the box office, as it was up 24.4 percent over the corresponding weekend last year. Attendance this year is up 20.4 percent, a surge that hasn't been driven by Academy Awards contenders but by new films in a traditionally tepid movie-going season.

Lionsgate's "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds," a more dramatic offering for the consistently popular Perry, opened with a healthy $16 million. Its audience was resoundingly female (76 percent) and may have been slightly diminished by the appeal of Denzel Washington in the thriller "Safe House." That earned $11.4 million, bringing its cumulative total to $98.1 million.

The weekend's other new releases - the thriller "Gone" and the comedy "Wanderlust" - had weaker debuts. The latter, a comedy with Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, earned $6.6 million. "Gone," starring Amanda Seyfried, took in $5 million.

In their third week of release, Sony's romantic drama "The Vow" and Warner Bros.' family film "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" padded their totals. "Journey" added $13.5 million for a total of $76.7 million, while" The Vow" added $10 million more for a cumulative $103 million.

Ahead of Sunday night's Academy Awards, no Oscar-contender finished in the top 10. Most of the favorites have been playing for weeks, if not months.

The Weinstein Co.'s "The Artist," the silent film ode and best picture favorite, is the only top award nominee still expanding its market. In its 14th week, it earned $3 million to bring its total to $31.9 million.

"Not a lot of people have seen it, so there's a lot of room left for `The Artist' to add box office," said Dergarabedian. "'The Artist' has a lot to gain from (Sunday's) telecast."

Fox Searchlight's Oscar-nominated "The Descendants," in its 15th week, took in $2.2 million, raising its total to $78.5 million. Paramount's "Hugo" added $1.6 million to bring its haul to $69.4 million.

Disney's "The Help" remained, by far, the most popular best picture nominee at the box office, with a total of $169.7 million.