-------- Box Office Report: "Act of Valor" SEALs the deal at No. 1
Patriotism ruled at the box office this weekend, as the Navy SEAL action film, Act of Valor, scored a big victory with $24.7 million. The film’s main selling point has been that it stars actual Navy SEALs, a branch that, after the Osama Bin Laden assassination in Spring 2011, is especially adored by the American public. In second place, Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds managed a somewhat middling $16 million debut, making it the high-profile actor/director’s second-lowest opening behind Daddy’s Little Girls, which started with $11.2 million in February 2007. As his career progresses, Perry is proving to be more of a draw with his comedies — like the Madea films and Why Did I Get Married? — than his more dramatic fare. Yet the movie is far from a financial disaster — in fact, it performed within Lionsgate’s expectations. The next three spots on the chart were filled by successful holdovers from two weekends ago that continue to prove mighty at the box office. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island dropped only 32% to third place with $13.5 million. Warner Brothers’ $79 million 3-D sequel has now grossed $76.5 million after three weekends. Safe House finished close behind in fourth place with $11.4 million. The thriller has now grossed $98.1 million total and will pass $100 million sometime this week. The Vow rounded out the Top 5 with $10 million, which lifted the $30 million romance’s cume to $103 million — the highest gross ever for distributor Screen Gems. The weekend’s other two new releases, Wanderlust and Gone, were both dead on arrival, finishing in eighth and ninth place, respectively. Universal’s "Wanderlust," despite strong reviews and the presence of Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, couldn’t overcome its confusing title and grossed only $6.6 million against a budget above $30 million. "Gone" fared even worse. Summit’s Amanda Seyfried thriller took in a truly terrible $5 million in ninth place. The complete Top 10 is below.

1. Act of Valor – $24.7 million
2. Good Deeds – $16.0 million
3. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – $13.5 million
4. Safe House – $11.4 million
5. The Vow – $10.0 million
6. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – $8.8 million
7. This Means War – $8.5 million
8. Wanderlust – $6.6 million
9. Gone – $5.0 million
10. The Secret World of Arrietty – $4.5 million