George Clooney Tops Holiday Box Office

George Clooney‘s latest espionage thriller The American is expected to take number one for this Labor Day weekend’s box office. Sunday box office estimates put the movie’s estimated haul at just below $13 million, with Monday ticket sales likely to put that total at $16 million. Since the movie’s debut on Wednesday, it has already made around $16 million total gross, which will likely put it at near $20 million by the end of the holiday weekend.

Clooney will knock last weekend’s number one movie Takers down to number two. The heist film, starring Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez, Michael Ealy, Tip ‘TI’ Harris, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, and Zoe Saldana, pulled $11.5 million Friday to Sunday, and will probably finish the weekend with $14 million, putting its total close to a $40 million total. Machete, which has sparked controversy over its take on immigration policy, as well as drawn attention for the extracurricular activities of star Lindsay Lohan, will finish at third with $11.3 million. 

Number four will go to horror film The Last Exorcism with $7.5 million, which will likely make $9 million for the holiday total. FInishing the top five is Drew Barrymore and Justin Long‘s romantic comedy Going the Distance, which earned a tepid $6.8 million and will probably end with around $8.5 million over Labor Day weekend. —AMY LEE

Top 10 Movies – Labor Day Weekend 
     Movie/Weekend/Total

1. The American(R) $13.0 M $16.1 M

2. Takers (PG-13) $11.5 M $37.9 M

3. Machete (R) $11.3 M $11.3 M

4. The Last Exorcism (PG-13) $7.6 M $33.3 M

5. Going the Distance (R) $6.9 M $6.9 M

6. The Expendables (R) $6.8 M $93.3 M

7. The Other Guys (PG-13) $5.4 M $106.9 M

8. Eat Pray Love (PG-13) $4.9 M $69.0 M

9. Inception (PG-13) $4.5 M $277.1 M

10. Nanny McPhee Returns (PG) $3.6 M $22.4 M