Box Office - 'Max Payne' Wins Friday Easily

So far so good for Max Payne, the new video game adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg. On Friday, it easily distanced itself from the pack at the box office, taking in just over $7 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That figures to mean a $20 million debut for Payne, a great number considering its $35 million budget. Oliver Stone's W. finished the day in second place, and appears to be headed towards a $12 - $14 million weekend. Like Max Payne, it has a reasonable budget despite its high profile, so W. will have no problem earning a profit, especially considering Stone's worldwide audience, which generally treats him better than American crowds. The Secret Life of Bees is a slight surprise, taking third place on Friday, with Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Eagle Eye rounding out the day's top five. The week's other new release, Sex Drive, should finish in the $4 million range, which is about what was expected from the teen comedy.Though we'll follow it more extensively next week, there are a rash of major box office bombs in theaters at the moment, with films like How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, The Express, Body of Lies, and City of Ember simply failing to connect with enough people. Only one of those films will make $20 million domestically - Body of Lies - while the others will be stuck around $10 million if they're lucky.