'Shutter Island' is No. 1 in my book

John Carroll Lynch, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo star in the thriller "Shutter Island," directed by Martin Scorsese.

I was curious to see what would win the box-office between "Shutter Island" and Kevin Smith's "Cop Out." Before seeing the dollar results, I thought Shutter would take No. 1 for the second consecutive week.

It turns out I was right.

With an estimated $22 million take, Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" tops Smith's "Cop Out" which opened to more than $18.6 million.  "The Crazies," which boasts a set of comic book adaptations by some well-known creators, came in 3rd and took in $16.5 million.

I watched the Scorsese film Saturday night and It is definitely a conversation starter.  But so were the other films based on the works of novelist Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River," "Gone Baby, Gone").  I'm happy the picture was placed in the hands of such skilled veteran filmmakers, otherwise it might have tipped too far off the finely tuned edge necessary to make viewers, especially myself and my cringing spouse, buy into the tale.

And no, I'm not gonna end this latest revision of my post without mentioning the screenwriting of Laeta Kalogridis.  Consider your fine work on "Shutter Island" mentioned and acknowledged here, Ms. Kalogridis.

I will be looking forward to your adaptation of "Battle Angel."

And don't fret much for "Cop Out." With its $30 million budget, according to Boxofficemojo.com, the buddy-cop flick may have a good shot at turning a profit.

1. "Shutter Island," $22.2 million.

2. "Cop Out," $18.6 million.

3. "The Crazies," $16.5 million.

4. "Avatar," $14 million.

5. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," $9.8 million.

6. "Valentine's Day," $9.5 million.

7. "Dear John," $5 million.

8. "The Wolfman," $4.1 million.

9. "The Tooth Fairy," $3.5 million.

10. "Crazy Heart," $2.5 million.