NOT MUCH STING AS HORNET OPENS WITH $11.1 MILLION ON FRIDAY

Although more than a few analysts had predicted that Sony’s The Green Hornet would lift the box office out of the doldrums this weekend, things did not look promising in that regard as Friday estimates for the movie came in at $11.1 million. The film had reportedly cost $110 million to produce. Much worse were the returns for Universal’s new comedy Dilemma, which, as analysts had observed, was caught on the horns of disinterest and managed to take in just around $6.1 million. It now appears likely to earn about $20-23 million for the four days — in line with expectations. Meanwhile, True Grit slipped to third place with $3.1 million on Friday, while Oscar contenders The King’s Speech and Black Swan were running neck-and-neck in fourth and fifth place with around $2.4 million and $2.3 million respectively. Overall, it now seems likely that the box office will be down nearly 25 percent from the same weekend a year ago.