Box Office Preview: 'True Grit' a true hit

LOS ANGELES – In hot pursuit of popularity since it opened, Paramount's "True Grit" will finally claim first-place bounty at the box office this weekend. After a mere two percent drop last weekend and continued strong word-of-mouth, the Coen Brothers' remake of the John Wayne classic will find itself in a rare third-weekend ascendancy to the top of the chart. A gross in the $15 million to $20 million range against another small weekend-over-weekend percentage drop will give the Coens their first $100 million grossing film, and one with Oscar potential to boot. Universal's "Little Fockers" is one of the few blockbuster-style success stories of the 2010 holiday box office season. The latest installment in a successful comedy franchise that started 10 years ago has held on to the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks, crossed $100 million in just 12 days of release and virtually is assured to inspire another "Fockers" sequel. A likely gross in the mid-teens will have the film passing the $120 million mark by the end of the weekend. "Tron: Legacy" from Disney could wind up in the third spot for the third consecutive weekend with just over $10 million and a cumulative total of $140 million plus. With the 3-D and IMAX components continuing to enhance the revenue generating potential for the sci-fi sequel, "Tron" has also benefited from providing a summer-style moviegoing experience during the winter season. Fourth and fifth places may see a battle between the debuting Nicolas Cage fantasy adventure "Season of the Witch" from Relativity Media and Oscar contender "The Fighter" from Paramount. The Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale true-life boxing drama has been generating positive word-of-mouth across the board since its release nearly a month ago and will flirt with a $60 million domestic total by the end of Sunday. Both films should earn about $10 million during this typically slow post-New Year's period. With the Jan. 25 Academy Award nominations growing closer, several Oscar contenders should hold steady outside of the top five. Among these are the Weinstein Co.'s "The King's Speech" and "Blue Valentine," and Fox Searchlight's "The Black Swan" and "127 Hours." — AP