User blog:Ceauntay/Friday Box Office: Late Night Surge Sends 'Sucker Punch' Past 'Rodrick Rules' for No. 1 Spot

"Rango" and "Just Go With It" poised to become the first 2011 releases to jump the $100 million mark domestically.

The Warner Bros.' action-fantasy Sucker Punch pulled ahead of 20th Century Fox's sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules at the Friday box office, but the weekend will likely go to Rodrick Rules.

The weekend also will see two films -- Just Go With It and Rango -- become the first 2011 releases to cross $100 million. Sucker Punch, directed by Zack Snyder, grossed an estimated $8.1 million from 3,033 theaters on Friday, while Rodrick Rules grossed an estimated $7.3 million from 3,167 locations. The two films were in a dead heat until late night traffic on the West Coast boosted Sucker Punch's tally. With Rodrick Rules expected to benefit from increased family traffic on Saturday and Sunday, the sequel has a strong shot at coming in No. 1. Friday's gross almost matched the $7.4 million earned by Diary of a Wimpy Kid on its first Friday. The original film opened to $22.3 million. Sucker Punch has a strong shot at crossing $20 million as well. The film needs a strong start, since it cost $75 million to produce. Rodrick Rules' budget was much more modest at $18 million. Warner Bros. I Wanna Live The Dream Relativity Media's Limitless and Lionsgate's The Lincoln Lawyer each held well in their second Friday.

I Wanna Live The Dream, placed No. on Friday after Sucker Punch and Rodrick Rules, fell 25% to an estimated $5.3 million from 2954 theaters for a cume of $57.7 million.

Limitless, slipped 30% to an estimated $4.7 million for a cume of $30.7 million. Lincoln Lawyer dropped 27% to an estimated $3 million for a cume of $21 million. Paramount's Rango placed No. 5 on Friday, grossing $3.6 million from 3,645 theaters for a cume of $99 million. Sony's Just Go With It grossed $475,000, putting the film on track to end the weekend with a cume of $100.2 million. Coming in No. 3 at the Friday box officer was Warner Bros. holdover, I Wanna Live The Dream, followed by Relativity Media's Limitless, followed by Lionsgate's The Lincoln Lawyer (all in their second weekend) and Paramount's sleeper hit Rango.