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Killer Elite, starring Robert De Niro, continues poor performance at box office

Omnilab-financed action film Killer Elite continued its soft run at the local box office over the weekend, taking just $140,774 from 102 screens. This is a 50 per cent slip on its opening weekend – a typical second-week box office drop.

The film has grossed $526,008 in total, however it was made on a $80 million budget and stars icon Robert De Niro and British actors Clive Owen and Jason Statham.

Based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes' non-fiction novel The Feather Men, the film was shot in cities including Melbourne, Paris and London. It also had a disappointing run in North America, grossing just $US25 million last year, according to Box Office Mojo.

Also in the US, Snowtown (known across the Pacific as The Snowtown Murders) opened on just one screen over the weekend, however box office figures aren’t yet available. New Zealand hit film Boy also opened in North America – it grossed $US23,400 on two screens.

Australia's favourite movie of 2011 – Red Dog – travelled to the UK and opened on February 24. Box office figures are now available – it took in a low £24,727 ($36,538) from 56 screens, giving it a screen average of just £442 ($653). After grossing $21 million in Australia and based on a book by London author Louis de Bernières, it was expected to open on more screens by distributor G2.

Back on local shores, comedy-thriller Project X shot to the top of the box office with $1.3 million from 222 screens. Distributed by Warner Bros, the film's returns outpaced Universal’s Contraband ($1.2 million) and Fox’s This Means War ($1 million). After four weeks at the box office, romantic drama The Vow placed fourth with $894,606 (229 screens, Sony), while The Devil Inside made $736,658 in its first weekend (229 screens, Paramount).

After receiving five Oscars last Monday, Hugo was up 27 per cent after eight weeks at the box office, grossing $412,630 across 140 screens, while The Artist, which netted five shiny trophies including Best Picture, rose 61 per cent to gross $559,589.

Critically-acclaimed Iranian film A Separation took $185,538 for distributor eOne in its first weekend (21 screens, $8835 screen average), while controversial film Shame, produced by Sydney’s Emile Sherman, added $38,908 from 24 screens to bring its total tally to $541,433 after four weeks.

Films opening this week include: 50/50 (Roadshow), Africa United (eOne/Hopscotch), Coriolanus (Icon), Headhunters (Rialto), John Carter (Walt Disney), The Source (Madman) and Kahaani (Mind Blowing Films).

Australian films at the 2012 box office