Although four new releases opened this weekend, it was second weekend holdover Dolphin's Tale [DLPHN] that jumped two slots into first place with an estimated $14.2 million. The family film declined just 26% from its debut.
Moneyball [MONYB] earned $12.5 million to stay in the second spot. The baseball drama dropped a respectable 36%.
The Lion King 3D [TLK3D] was knocked down to third place with $11.1 million. The animated re-release has banked $79.7 million.
50/50 [5050] debuted at $8.8 million in a tight race for fourth place. The cancer dramedy attracted an audience that was 65% over the age of 25 and skewed slightly female.
Courageous [COURG] is also estimated at $8.8 million. The faith-based drama had the highest Per Screen Average of any film in the top 10.
The horror film Dream House [DRMHS] finished sixth at $8.2 million while What's Your Number? [WYNUM] bombed at eighth, grossing just $5.6 million.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | DOLPHIN TALE | $14,245,000 | $37,516,000 |
| 2 | MONEYBALL | $12,500,000 | $38,469,000 |
| 3 | THE LION KING 3D | $11,100,000 | $79,700,000 |
| 4 | 50/50 | $8,848,000 | $8,848,000 |
| 5 | COURAGEOUS | $8,800,000 | $8,800,000 |
| 6 | DREAM HOUSE | $8,209,185 | $8,209,185 |
| 7 | ABDUCTION | $5,650,000 | $19,139,188 |
| 8 | WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? | $5,600,000 | $5,600,000 |
| 9 | CONTAGION | $5,040,000 | $64,702,000 |
| 10 | KILLER ELITE | $4,855,000 | $17,425,000 |
| 11 | DRIVE | $3,337,484 | $27,050,799 |
| 12 | THE HELP | $3,000,000 | $159,400,000 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): DLPHN, MONYB, TLK3D, 5050, COURG, DRMHS, WYNUM