High Scorsese: Shutter Island is a Personal Best

Monetarily speaking, that is. After the gluttonous sugar-rush of Valentine's Day, America lay crashed, dazed and brokenhearted in a drift of empty chocolate wrappers this weekend. It just so happens, however, that that was the ideal psychological state in which to fully appreciate a Shyamalanian thriller from Martin Scorsese set entirely on a water-locked prison for psychotic murderers. We'll ask now that you please relinquish your firearms as you join us on ... WEEKEND RECEIPTS ISLAND! (The forecast calls for hurricanes and heavy Boston accents.)

1. Shutter Island

Gross: $40,200,000 (new)

Screens: 2,991 (PSA: $13,440)

Weeks: 1

Paramount's decision to delay Shutter Island's fall release proved to be yet another strategic coup for the studio, as the film exceeded all projections and earned personal bests for both director and muse, Leonardo DiCaprio. (By comparison, Titanic's opening made $28 million, while The Departed bowed to just under $27 million.) And it wasn't just audiences who were bitten by the Shutter bug: America's pullquote-aspiring film critics were also held in thrall, with Jeannie Fox of Showbiz Central insisting, "It would be CRIMINALLY INSANE to miss Shutter Island," while Geoff Dewey of DVDAttackz.com pointed out it has "an ending so shocking, IT'S TOTALLY NUTS!"

2. Valentine's Day

Gross: $17,160,000 (cume: $87,422,000)

Screens: 3,665 (PSA: $4,682)

Weeks: 2 (change: -69.5%)

Last week's star-studded rom-com phenom sputtered miserably in its sophomore session. Asked why she was choosing Shutter Island over Day, 28-year-old Georgia resident Coral Davis, a customer at Big Cinemas South Dekalb Stadium 12, explained, "Well, first of all, it's not Valentine's Day anymore, so why bother? Also, my friend Jacara from spin class said it sucked and that all the hot guys were gay, and I get enough of that in my real life."

3. Avatar

Gross: $16,100,000 (cume: $687,821,000)

Screens: 2,581 (PSA: $6,238)

Weeks: 10 (change: -31.8%)

To celebrate its tenth week in release, members of the Hollywood Blvd. Na'vi Roleplay Society staged a resurrection ritual. Unfortunately, with no colossal trees in the area, they were forced to sway in unison around the Hollywood&Highland Sephora outlet. While the effect wasn't nearly as spiritual, it did result in the distribution of a stack of 10%-off coupons towards the purchase of blue eyeshadow.

4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Gross: $15,300,000 (cume: $58,760,000)

Screens: 3,396 (PSA: $8,194)

Weeks: 2 (Change: -51.0%)

It was an embarrassment of riches for Pierce Brosnan fans living in New York and L.A. this weekend, where they could catch him as both a centaur in the youth fantasy Jackson, then again as a British Prime Minister under fire in the excellent The Ghost Writer. Flyover states -- you'll just have to wait until Writer goes wide. In the meantime, you can savor his fascinating chat with us once more, or dial up I Am...I Sang: Pierce Brosnan Interprets the Songs of Neil Diamond, his underrated tribute album, on your iPod.

5. The Wolfman

Gross: $9,846,000 (cume: $50,315,000)

Screens: 3,223 (PSA: $3,055)

Weeks: 2 (Change: -68.7%)

Alas, poor word of mouth was the silver bullet that felled Universal's furry monster movie. This bodes not well for Chaka!, their planned Land of the Lost spinoff.

[Data: Box Office Mojo]