(Anthony Hopkins + evil) x slow weekend = box-office gold, apparently. “The Rite” topped the charts with a gross of approximately $15 million, despite largely indifferent reviews and a sense that this movie would not break new ground in the Sinister Exorcist genre, what with the silly trailer and the PG-13 rating.

Still, people want what they want, and they wanted this more than “The Mechanic“, which earned  $11.5 million to share third place with “The Green Hornet“. (Last week’s leader, “No Strings Attached“, dropped to second place with $13.7 million.)

The biggest surprise? Seeing “The King’s Speech” nipping at everyone’s heels in fifth place with $11.1 million, thanks to an expansion timed to cash in on all those Oscar nominations. Imagine how much better it might do next week if they cut out the cussing to swap that R rating for a family-friendly PG-13. (No, seriously.)

Hey, if it’s good enough for the Devil, you just know it’s good enough for Harvey Weinstein …