'The Social Network' Remains #1

Showing that its buzz wasn't short-lived, Facebook movie "The Social Network" topped the box office for the second weekend in a row, with ticket sales down a small 31% from its debut at $15.5 million, according to an estimate from distributor Sony Pictures.

It was a slow weekend at the movies.  With nothing new generating enthusiasm, it was a slow overall weekend at movie theaters. Total receipts were down 15% from the weekend before Columbus Day last year, according to Hollywood.com.

College football games and baseball playoffs may have been factors. But it was also true that none of the new films caught on with young audiences, which often drive big box-office receipts. Instead, "Life As We Know It" and "Secretariat" competed for the adult female demographic, which are historically tougher to attract.

Ticket sales for "The Social Network" dropped only 31% this weekend. That was the second-lowest second weekend drop for any movie in wide release this year, behind "The Tooth Fairy."

Demonstrating that good word of mouth wasn't an isolated phenomenon, "Social Network" enjoyed minimal drops throughout the country, including smaller markets such as Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where receipts were off only 19%.

Combined with healthy weekday grosses, the movie's total take is now $46.1 million. "The Social Network" is now almost certain to be a financial winner for Sony and its co-financier Relativity Media, which spent just under $40 million on production.