The Grey leads the pack at the North American box office

Liam Neeson leads The Grey to the number one spot this weekend at the North American box office. The Joe Carnahan directed thriller made $20 million dollars in its opening weekend and the well-reviewed survival thriller is the latest hit for Neeson, who has been able to open three straight films in this time frame to stronger than expected numbers.

Last week's number one Underworld: Awakening had a stronger than expected hold, dropping just 50% week over week for a second place finish with another $12 million dollars. The franchise is showing no signs of slowing down as Awakening, already at $44 million, may end up as the highest grossing entry of the series. It would have to beat Underworld: Evolution at $62 million, and that number seems very attainable.

One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl managed a decent $11 million dollar opening. The bounty hunter-themed comedy was another consistent opener for Heigl who has managed to deliver better than average box office with her last four films. However, One for the Money could end this trend depending on how strong it holds in week two.

Man on a Ledge debuted with a disappointing $8 million dollars. Sam Worthington is having a tough time transitioning from big budget spectacles like Avatar and Clash of the Titans to more realistic material. Whether or not he'll have a career in films that don't require a green screen remains uncertain. He returns to form in March with the sequel Wrath of the Titans.

Red Tails had a decent hold dropping less than 50% and taking in another $10 million dollars over the weekend for a cume of $33 million. Steven Soderbergh's action thriller Haywire took a nosedive this week only managing $4 million in spite of it's marquee cast.

On the awards front, The Descendants is moving back up the charts taking in $6 million this weekend, up from last weekend's total. With the Oscar nominations being announced this past week, the George Clooney-starring drama has received a nice bump. So too has the silent film The Artist, which netted another $3 million this week. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close received a baffling Best Picture nomination, helping the film hold strong in it's second week taking in another $7 million dollars.

Next week is the Super Bowl which is traditionally a slow weekend for the box office and yet there are three more studio releases hitting cineplexes, including the found footage superhero film Chronicle, Daniel Radcliffe horror The Woman in Black and the family film Big Miracle.

Here's your top films for North America...

1. The Grey
Weekend Estimate: $20 million

2. Underworld: Awakening
Weekend Estimate: $12 million; $44 million total

3. One for the Money
Weekend Estimate: $11 million

4. Red Tails
Weekend Estimate: $10 million; $33 million total

5. Man on a Ledge
Weekend Estimate: $8 million

Anghus Houvouras