ENDER'S GAME Sights $28 Million For Opening Weekend; LAST VEGAS, FREE BIRDS Flying Low

The film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi action novel ENDER'S GAME opened at No. 1 on Friday with $9.9 million and is setting its sights toward $28 million by Sunday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Directed by Gavin Hood, Asa Butterfield stars alongside Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin.

In the near future, a hostile alien race called the Formics have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff (Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young minds to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Butterfield), a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is recruited to join the elite. Once there, he's trained by Mazer Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an Epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

The movie, from Summit Entertainment, OddLot Entertainment and Digital Domain, cost $110 million to produce. Check out BWW's review roundup HERE.

In second place is Paramount's JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA with $6.1 million on Friday. Johnny Knoxville stars as 'Irving Zisman', an 86-year-old prankster, with Jackson Nicoll as his 8-year-old grandson Billy. The pair travel across the country punking people in the signature "Jackass" style. The film is directed by Jeff Tremaine and cost just $15 million to produce.

Third is CBS Films' LAST VEGAS with $5.1 million yesterday and a projected $15 million for the weekend. LAST VEGAS, starring Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline, marks the first time ever these four Hollywood icons will appear together on the big screen. Directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Dan Fogelman, the movie co-stars Oscar-winner Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco, and Roger Bart.

The animated 3D Thanksgiving pic FREE BIRDS from Relativity Media and Reel FX is flying close on LAS VEGAS' heels. With a voice cast featuring Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler, the movie could tie for No. 3 by Sunday.

In the limited release market is Richard Curtis' romantic comedy ABOUT TIME, with Rachel McAdams and Tom Hollander, which opened to 175 theaters and is aiming for a measly $1 million by the end of the weekend in the US. But the movie has brought in $32 million overseas so far.

DIANA, starring Naomi Watts as Princess Diana, is looking at just $62,000 by Sunday after opening in 38 markets.

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