Another football movie #1 at the box office, nerds go into hiding

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
Football continued its winning streak at theaters this weekend as Gridiron Gang topped the box office.

The Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson drama, based on a football coach who leads a team of juvenile detainees, took in $15 million, according to studio estimates from Nielsen EDI.

Gridiron Gang met most analysts' expectations. It follows Invincible, another true football story, which was No. 1 for two weeks.

"These play well and have legs because they're feel-good movies," says Rory Bruer, distribution chief for Sony Pictures, which released Gridiron Gang and enjoyed its 10th No. 1 movie of the year, a record for a studio.

The Black Dahlia was second with $10.4 million, slightly below some analysts' expectations. Everyone's Hero, the animated film co-directed by Christopher Reeve, was third with $6.2 million. The Last Kiss was fourth with $4.7 million.

Ticket sales dipped 14% from the same weekend last year. Final figures are due Monday.