Universal’s George Clooney-Renee Zellweger period screwball comedy “Leatherheads” was sacked at the weekend box office, losing out to Sony holdover “21” and all but tying with 20th Century Fox’s family adventure-fantasy “Nim’s Island” for the No. 2 spot. Directed by and starring Clooney, “Leatherheads” grossed an estimated $13.5 million from 2,769 theaters, according to Rentrak, while “21” declined only 37% in its second sesh to an estimated $15.1 million from 2,653 locations. “Leatherheads” was widely predicted to win the weekend, with U believing it could overcome the challenges associated with marketing a genre whose heyday has long since passed, aided by Clooney’s star appeal. Poor reviews, however, likely dampened turnout among older moviegoers, the pic’s key demo. “Nim’s Island” gave a needed boost for label Fox-Walden, grossing an estimated $13.3 million from 3,513 theaters. Film came in on the higher end of expectations, giving Fox its second family title in the top five after “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”

Via Variety