Box Office - Audiences Hear 'Horton' On Friday

While not among the top ten opening days in animated film history, Horton Hears a Who still made a very respectable $13.3 million in its debut Friday, which should help propel the Dr. Seuss adaptation into the $40 - $45 million range for the weekend.

The week's other major new releases, Never Back Down and Doomsday, were not expected to do great business, although Never Back Down will very likely finish as the number three film of the weekend behind a sluggish second week performance by 10,000 BC.

Horton Hears a Who, as we've said numerous times here at The Big Picture, may become the first $100 million movie of 2008. Last year, both Wild Hogs and 300 had hit that mark by this point, which could indicate that the annual figures will be down a little bit, at least for the first quarter of the eyar.

We'll have a full weekend box office recap for you Sunday afternoon.