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Paranormal Activity 3 proved there's definitely still a lot of life left in the franchise by opening to $52.6 million this weekend. Besides marking a significant improvement over Paranormal Activity 2's $40.7 million, it also topped last year's Jackass 3-D to claim a new record for highest Fall opening ever (September and October). Unfortunately, The Three Musketeers, Johnny English Reborn and The Mighty Macs all missed modest targets, and as a result the weekend fell a bit short of the same frame last year. George Clooney

Friday A.M. Update: Paranormal Activity 3 earned an estimated $8 million from midnight screenings at 2,200 locations last night. That's a marked improvement over Paranormal Activity 2, which earned $6.3 million from 1,800 theaters at midnight.

Real Steel fended off a strong assault from The Three Musketeers to remain the box office champion overseas. Johnny English Reborn also had another potent weekend, while Cannes Film Festival favorite The Artist charmed its way to the top of the charts in France.

Two 80s remakes and a bird-watching movie weren't able to knock down Real Steel, which held well enough to repeat in first place this weekend. Footloose wasn't far behind, but also wasn't all that impressive, while The Thing missed the mark and The Big Year bombed. Overall box office was off around 33 percent from the same frame last year when Jackass 3-D led with $50.3 million. Hugh JackmanJohn CarpenterGeorge ClooneyDavid FrankelJack BlackSteve MartinOwen WilsonPedro Almodóvar

Thanks to a decent opening, the Footloose remake slid past Real Steel to take the top spot on a very quiet Friday in movie theaters. The Thing remake didn't fare nearly as well, and The Big Year failed to garner any interest at all. George ClooneySteve MartinOwen WilsonJack Black

Two remakes of movies from the 1980s and a bird watching comedy enter the box-office arena this weekend, though reigning champ Real Steel should put up a strong fight as well. Reaching roughly 4,500 screens at 3,549 locations, the Footloose remake leads the way with the fifth-widest opening ever in October. The prequel/remake of The Thing hits 3,500 screens at 2,997 locations, while The Big Year opens at 2,150 venues, most of which are single-screen. Craig BrewerJohn CarpenterMary Elizabeth WinsteadSteve MartinOwen WilsonJack Black

The overseas battle between Real Steel and Johnny English Reborn looks like it's going the full twelve rounds, though for the time being Real Steel has the slight edge. Rise of the Planet of the Apes leaped back up the chart thanks to a strong start in Japan, while The Smurfs finally relinquished its grasp on the top spot. Hugh Jackman

Real Steel fought its way to the top of the box office this weekend, though its debut didn't quite reach heavyweight levels. The Ides of March was the runner-up with a standard George Clooney opening, while Dolphin Tale and Moneyball continued to hold well in their third frames.Steven SpielbergRyan Gosling

Real Steel emerged as the undisputed champion on Friday, though it packed a fairly average punch. The Ides of March wound up in second with a decent debut right in line with past George Clooney projects, and Dolphin Tale held strong in third place. Ryan Gosling

For the first weekend of October, robot boxing movie Real Steel squares off against political campaign thriller The Ides of March in what appears to be a lopsided fight. Real Steel enters the ring on around 4,700 screens at 3,440 locations (including 270 IMAX screens), which is the eighth-widest opening ever for an October release. The Ides of March targets a much lighter debut on 2,700 screens at 2,199 theaters. With the holdovers all set to drop to single-digits, Real Steel will almost certainly take first place, marking only the second time in the last eight weeks that a brand-new movie (not The Lion King re-release or a holdover) has claimed the top spot.Hugh JackmanGeorge ClooneyRyan Gosling

Thanks in large part to a 17-year old animated movie, September 2011 was the highest-grossing September to date with roughly $602.9 million. It improved 10.6 percent on September 2010 ($545.3 million) and was up 8.7 percent from September 2007, which held the previous record with $554.7 million. With around 75 million tickets sold, it was also the most-attended September since 2007.Brad Pitt

The Smurfs extended its chart-topping run to an otherworldly eighth straight weekend on another deadly quiet session on the foreign circuit. Abduction moved in to second place, while Johnny English Reborn and Friends with Benefits once again had solid showings. Finally, Fast Five raced back on to the charts with a strong debut in Japan. Taylor LautnerJustin TimberlakeMila Kunis

Following a record-breaking September, October 2011 should also be in good shape to at least come close to matching last year's $687.8 million (or October 2009's record $693.4 million). Puss in Boots, Paranormal Activity 3 and Real Steel all seem like locks for solid grosses, and at least one of the remakes (Footloose, The Thing, The Three Musketeers) could break out to help drive another strong month at the box office. George ClooneyHugh JackmanRyan GoslingJohn CarpenterSteve MartinOwen WilsonJack BlackPaul W.S. AndersonJohnny DeppJustin TimberlakeRoland Emmerich

On strong word-of-mouth, Dolphin Tale managed to leap over Moneyball and The Lion King (in 3D) to take first place on its second weekend in theaters. Estimates had faith-based movie Courageous trailing 50/50, though it ultimately leveraged a stronger Sunday to come out ahead when actuals reported. Dream House disappointed in its debut, while What's Your Number? tallied one of the worst numbers for a super-saturated (3,000+ theaters) release ever. Brad PittSeth RogenJoseph Gordon-LevittDaniel CraigRachel WeiszNaomi WattsAnna Faris

Star-studded newcomers 50/50, Dream House and What's Your Number? all finished behind Courageous yesterday, which managed to attract a solid Christian audience on Friday. Still, even Courageous didn't have what it took to beat last weekend's leaders Moneyball, Dolphin Tale and The Lion King. Brad PittSeth RogenAnna Faris

With no fewer than six movies fighting for the top spot, it's shaping up to be a hectic weekend at the box office. Anna Faris comedy What's Your Number? reaches around 3,100 screens at 3,002 theaters, while Daniel Craig thriller Dream House opens at roughly 2,850 screens at 2,660 locations and cancer comedy 50/50 debuts on around 2,600 screens at 2,458 theaters. Also, Christian flick Courageous hits approximately 1,400 screens at 1,161 locations, though it's unlikely to be in contention for the lead. Last week's top movies The Lion King (in 3D), Moneyball and Dolphin Tale have all generated solid word-of-mouth and should still be in the hunt. With most of these movies poised for low-teen millions (with the likely exception of Courageous), any one that reaches $15 million should be in line for a win.Joseph Gordon-LevittSeth RogenAdam SandlerJudd ApatowRachel WeiszNaomi Watts

The Smurfs led for the seventh-straight frame on one of the slowest foreign weekends in recent memory. The movie added $12.9 million from 69 markets, around half of which came from phenomenal holds in Italy (down 6 percent to $3.8 million) and Australia (off 3 percent to $2.57 million). That brings its foreign total to $364.4 million, and on Sunday it eclipsed $500 million worldwide (domestic plus foreign). That makes The Smurfs the first non-sequel in 2011 to reach the half-billion-dollar milestone.Justin TimberlakeMila Kunis

Four newcomers weren't quite strong enough to unseat The Lion King (in 3D), which held the top spot for the second weekend in a row. Moneyball and Dolphin Tale had strong starts but were each massively overestimated on Sunday (over 5 percent for each movie), while Abduction and Killer Elite both underperformed. Overall, the weekend box office tallied at least $117 million, which makes it the highest-grossing September weekend ever.Brad PittTaylor LautnerRobert PattinsonJason StathamRyan Gosling

Moneyball's formula resulted in a solid win on Friday, but reigning champion The Lion King (in 3D) wasn't far behind and should easily repeat in first place this weekend. Dolphin Tale also got off to a strong start, while Abduction and Killer Elite failed to break out of their niches. Brad PittTaylor LautnerJason Statham

Four new releases attempt to dethrone The Lion King (in 3D), though Moneyball looks like the only one with a legitimate chance. The Brad Pitt baseball movie, based on Michael Lewis's bestselling book of the same name, steps up to the plate on around 3,800 screens at 2,993 locations. Other new movies in the hunt include Taylor Lautner thriller Abduction (3,800 screens at 3,118 theaters), Dolphin Tale (over 5,000 screens at 3,507 theaters, with 2,700 of those theaters playing the movie in 3D) and Killer Elite (3,600 screens at 2,986 locations). Kristen StewartRobert PattinsonShia LaBeoufJason StathamRobert De NiroClive Owen