'The Help' helps itself to the weekend box office crown

For the second week in a row, a bevy of newcomers crashed and burned at the U.S. box office, while last week's number two film, "The Help," rose to the top, continuing its impressive run.

"The Help" earned $16.3 million.

"The Help" scored $16.3 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates, falling only 21.4 percent from its debut, for a total of $71.8 million over 12 days. Made for a reported $25 million, the film has been of the few success stories of the late summer season.

Meanwhile, last week's number one film, "The Rise of the Planet of the Apes," swapped positions with "The Help," finishing its third weekend with $16.3 million for a total of $133 million.

Unfortunately for their rivals, "Rise" and "The Help" have been the only August releases to find any success at the box office.

Of the four new films to debut this weekend, "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" fared the best with $12 million on a budget of $27 million. The fourth film in director Robert Rodriguez's children's series arrived eight years after the last installment and opened to little more than a third of what 2003's "Spy Kids 3D: Game Over" did. The long wait in between movies forced the introduction of new spy kids, while the earlier films' original audience is now either in high school or college.

The remake "Conan the Barbarian" likewise failed to find its original's audience, looting a paltry $10 million from the box office. The film had the largest budget--$90 million--of the weekend debuts, and therefore the most to prove and the most the lose.

"Fright Night," another 1980s remake, did little better, scoring only $7.9 million but with one third the budget.

Rounding out the newcomers, the romantic drama "One Day" barely make it into the weekend's top 10 with $5.1 million. It's budget is reported to be $15 million.

Among the rest, "The Smurfs" continued to produce strong returns, drawing $8 million in its fourth weekend for a total of $117 million. Last weekend's other movies--"Final Destination 5" and "30 Minutes or Less"--both dropped more than 50 percent after failing to impress during their debuts.

The weekend's top 10 films were as follows:

1. "The Help," $20,479,000 (Total: $71.8 million)
2. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," $16,300,000 (Total: $133.7 million)
3. "Sky Kids: All the Time in the World," $12,020,000 (New)
4. "Conan the Barbarian." $10,000,000 (New)
5. "The Smurfs," $8,000,000 (Total: $117.7 million)
6. "Fright Night," $7,900,000 (New)
7. "Final Destination 5," $18,400,000 ($32.3 million)
8. "30 Minutes or Less," $6,300,000 ($25.7 million)
9. "One Day," $5,128,000 (New)
10. "Crazy, Stupid, Love," $4,950,000 (Total: $64.4 million)

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' rules box office for a second weekend

The apes continued their conquest of the domestic box office this weekend, with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" remaining on top for the second straight week, according to studio estimates.

The film earned $27.5 million.

The reboot raised $27.5 million over the weekend, crossing the $100 million mark on Sunday. Made on a budget of $97 million, the film has earned $179 million worldwide after 10 days in theaters. Its writers recently said in an interview that they envision a trilogy, and with numbers like these, their dream may become reality.

Finishing in a strong second was newcomer "The Help," based on the best-selling novel from author Kathryn Stockett. Starting off strong on Wednesday, the film maintained its momentum through Sunday, finishing with $25.5 million for the weekend and $34.4 million over five days.

The news wasn't nearly as good for the other three films making their debuts. "Final Destination 5" had to settle for third place with $18.4 million, well short of last year's "The Final Destination," which opened with $27.4 million. It was the first film in the franchise to not build on its predecessor's opening and the smallest opening since "Final Destination 2" debuted with $16 million in 2003. Perhaps death has finally come to claim its last victim.

"30 Minutes or Less," which saw director Ruben Fleischer re-team with his "Zombieland' star Jesse Eisenberg for another edgy comedy, didn't live up to expectations, with "30 Minutes or Less" earning only $13 million, short of "Zombieland, which debuted with $24.7 million and went on to earn $75.5 million.

Even worse was "Glee The 3D Concert Movie," the documentary chronicling the world tour featuring the cast of Fox's hit musical series. The film failed to crack the top ten, grossing $5.7 million over the weekend. The saving grace for the documentary is that it was reportedly made for a low budget of less than $10 million.

The weekend's top 10 were as follows:

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes," $27,500,000 (Total: $104.9 million)
2. "The Help," $25,525,000 (Total: $34.4 million)
3. "Final Destination 5," $18,400,000 (New)
4. "The Smurfs," $13,500,000 (Total: $101.5 million)
5. "30 Minutes or Less," $13,000,000 (New)
6. "Cowboys & Aliens," $7,613,000 (Total: $84.5 million)
7. "Captain America: The First Avenger," $7,125,000 (Total: $156.9 million)
8. "Crazy, Stupid, Love," $6,930,000 (Total: $55.4 million)
9. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," $6,875,000 (Total: $357 million)
10. "The Change-Up," $6,219,000 (Total: $25.8 million)

11. "Glee The 3D Concert Movie," $5,700,000 (New)