It was always my understanding that ninja were so fearsome that no foe or monster — vampires included — could withstand their stealthy skills, but my preconceived notions have been dashed by the box office debut of "Ninja Assassin," the WB's latest action epic produced by the Wachowski siblings. Despite all the ninja goodness promised by the film's premise, "Ninja Assassin" couldn't topple the supernatural romantic powerhouse that is "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which remained the decisive victor at yesterday's box office. Instead, "Ninja Assassin" face-planted in the company of "New Moon" and its competitors — which is not an unprecedented move for ninja, mind you — by landing in fifth place with a mere $5.7 million, bringing the film's cumulative total to $13.5 million since Wednesday. As if losing to a pack of vampires wasn't enough, "Ninja Assassin" also fell in the face of "Old Dogs," the John Travolta and Robin Williams-starring family comedy that earned a fourth place finish on Friday and has amassed a cumulative total of $14.2 million since opening on Wednesday. The soft opening and defeat at the hands of the Disney comedy isn't exactly the greatest start for "Ninja Assassin," but the weekend isn't quite over yet. Additionally, "Ninja Assassin's" estimated budget of $40 million isn't so insurmountable even at the film's current pace. While "New Moon" managed to keep its fangs firmly buried in the box office's top seat, the film suffered a brief snafu of its own. The Sandra Bullock-starring "The Blind Side" managed a first place finish on Thanksgiving, generously offering Robert Pattinson and his "Twilight" contemporaries a slice of holiday humble pie. The lead was short-lived, however, as "The Blind Side" finished in second place on Friday with $16.2 million. http://www.blacktree.tv Distributed by Tubemogul.
