Box Office: Musical Saws and Glorious Pride

Of last week's four new releases the video game inspired Max Payne took top honors with The Secret Life of Bees and W. taking third and fourth place respectively. Bees, incidentally, had the highest per screen average of the week. Sex Drive took in only $3.6 million, taking ninth for the weekend.

1. Max Payne: $17.6 million
2. Beverly Hills Chihuahua: $11.4 million
3. The Secret Life of Bees: $10.5 million
4. W.: $10.5 million
5. Eagle Eye: $7 million

Three new releases and one re-release this week:

High School Musical 3: Senior Year
What's It All About: This third installment of the popular series brings the clean cut musical shenanigans to the big screen. It's senior year, and a group of friends reflect upon their past and future as they prepare for their last Spring musical together.
Why It Might Do Well: This one comes with a built in fan base and a huge release. Definitely the number one move next week.
Why It Might Not Do Well: How can you ask that? Have you no soul?
Number of Theaters: 3,400
Prediction: $45 million



Pride & Glory
What's It All About: A gritty police drama in which a cop investigates fellow police officers who happen to be his brother and brother-in-law. Edward Norton and Colin Farrell star.
Why It Might Do Well: it's got the star power.
Why It Might Not Do Well: 44% at Rottentomatoes.com doesn't bode well. Also, given how common police drama is on television, a film needs to take the genre into all new territory, and I'm not seeing it.
Number of Theaters: 2,600
Prediction: $10 million

Saw V
What's It All About: It's Halloween time and that means it's time for another installment of the most enduring horror franchise of recent years. Like so many horror film stars before him, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) doesn't let the fact that he's dead stop him from continuing his reign of terror.
Why It Might Do Well: Saw IV pulled in 139 million worldwide and Saw III made $164 million, so I suspect this one will make money too. Also, it's the Halloween season and this provides a blood and guts alternative to the goody two shoes High School Musical 3.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Despite my love of horror movies, I find the Saw films to be uninteresting gross-a-thons. Perhaps the franchise is finally running out of steam.
Number of Theaters: 2,800
Prediction: $33 million
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Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D
What's It All About: In this re-release of the stop motion animated classic, Jack Skellington decides to kidnap Santa Claus to bring the joy of Christmas to the delightfully morbid Halloweentown, and now it's in 3-D.
Why It Might Do Well: The time is right for a kid-friendly Halloween movie.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will folks plunk down cash for the family to watch a movie that is available on DVD?
Number of Theaters: Wide release (number not currently available).
Prediction: $7 million

As with last week, the number one movie was easy to call, but the others are a bit trickier. Here's how I think the top five will look:
1. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
2. Saw V
3. Max Payne
4. Pride & Glory
5. Beverly Hills Chihuahua

It was a tough week for predictions. Most of us figured correctly that Max Payne would be number one, but a lot of us also expected Sex Drive and Quarantine to finish in the top five. Here's how we all did:
1. Romel: 9
2. Ray: 8
2. Herff: 8
2. NP: 8
2. Vera: 8
2. Pat Campbell: 8
3. Jessica Dillon: 6
3. Chris: 6
3. lostinafog: 6
3. Gregory Rubinstein: 6
3. Alex Farquharson: 6
3. I Eat Robots: 6
3. Matt: 6
3. Dylan: 6
3. zach: 6
3. hitesh choudhary: 6
3. VP: 6
4. Max: 3

Does High School Musical 3 have what it takes or will Saw V cut through the competition? Post your predictions for the top five movies in the comments section below before 5:00PM Eastern Time on Friday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the to