'TERRACE' TOPS THE WEEKEND, 'BURN' SOLID IN 2ND (HWT)

By Steve Mason

FRIDAY 9:30 p.m. (Pacific): Samuel L. Jackson�s scare tactics in "Lakeview Terrace" (Sony) have propelled this Neil LaBute-directed thriller tot the top of the box office heap for the three-day weekend. The racially charged, crooked-cop yarn sold an estimated $4.7 million in tickets on Friday, and it should finish the weekend with $13.5 million or so.

For Jackson, "Terrace" doesn�t even crack his top 15 openings, settling for a number on par with 2006�s "Snakes on a Plane" ($13.8 million), but it is easily LaBute�s biggest opening, surpassing his dreadful remake of "The Wicker Man" ($9.6 million). The playwright-turned-director became friends with budding superstar Aaron Eckhart ("The Dark Knight") while attending BYU, and the square-jawed actor starred in LaBute�s first two features � Sundance winner "In the Company of Men" ($2.8M cume) and "Your Friends and Neighbors" ($4.7 million). Unfortunately, he has drifted from edgy, cynical arthouse fare to lesser commercial projects as evidenced by the 43% Fresh score for "Lakeview Terrace" on Rotten Tomatoes (but better than the 15% Fresh registered by "The Wicker Man").

The weekend�s No. 1 movie also stars Patrick Wilson, a Golden Globe nominee for HBO�s "Angels in America" and the star of Todd Field�s excellent "Little Children." "Terrace" is by far his most commercial film, and, with "Passengers" (Sony) and "Valkyrie" (MGM/UA) due by the end of the year and Zack Snyder�s hyper-buzzed "Watchmen" (Warner Bros.) set for March, it is probably just a small step to super-stardom for Wilson.

The Coen brothers� "Burn After Reading" (Focus) is solidly at No. 2 for Friday with an estimated $3.42 million. That should translate to an excellent $11.3 million, down just 41% from opening weekend. By Monday the goofball spy comedy will have banked $36.4 million, making it the third-best grossing movie from Joel and Ethan Coen, trailing only last year�s Oscar winner "No Country for Old Men" ($74.2 million cume) and "The Ladykillers" ($39.8 million).

Having the most MySpace friends apparently doesn�t make you a sure thing at the box office. Dane Cook, the standup comic-turned-actor who built his career, in part, on the social networking site MySpace, has flopped in the new Lionsgate comedy "My Best Friend�s Girl." The movie, also starring Kate Hudson, scrounged up just $2.85 million in opening-day ticket sales on its way to a likely three-day of just $7.7 million.

Industry tracking seemed to suggest $10 million-plus for this R-rated comedy, but instead the movie is a step backward for Cook�s big screen career. "My Best Friend�s Girl" is only the comic�s fifth-best opening as a lead, behind "Good Luck Chuck" ($13.6 million), "Dan in Real Life" ($11.8 million), "Employee of the Month" ($11.4 million) and "Mr. Brooks" ($10 million). This movie is comparable to his first film vehicle "Waiting" ($6 million opening), and it is hard to see how this one will push past $20 million domestic.

Holdovers "Righteous Kill" (Overture) and Tyler Perry�s "The Family That Preys" (Lionsgate) are neck-and-neck for Friday with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro holding the edge $2.34 million-$2.2 million. Perry�s film will play stronger with families on Saturday and Sunday, however, so "Family That Preys" will likely finish No. 4 with $7.59 million and "Righteous Kill" will come in with around $7.2 million for the three-day.

Two other wide releases have opened very softly. MGM�s animated "Igor" managed $1.9 million on Friday, and it will likely finish sixth with a disappointing $6.8 million. "Ghost Town" (DreamWorks/Paramount) from Steven Spielberg pal David Koepp and starring Ricky Gervais (HBO�s "Extras") generated just $1.65 million Friday, on its way to only $5.5 million for the weekend.

On the specialty front, there is very good news for Saul Dibb�s "The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage), which debuted at seven locations. With Oscar nominees Keira Knightley ("Atonement") and Ralph Fiennes ("The English Patient") on the marquee, this period costume drama delivered an impressive $62,000 on Friday for a $9,000 per theater average. The film should wrap the weekend with a $30,000 PTA as it sets up for its platform release.