It's 'Steve' Versus Death In The Saturday Box Office Report

1. "The Final Destination" ($3.58 million)
2. "All About Steve" ($3.55 million)
3. "Gamer" ($3.3 million)
4. "Inglourious Basterds" ($3 million)
5. "District 9" ($1.7 million)

Last weekend, "The Final Destination" proved that not even Michael Myers could defeat the almighty Death itself. But this weekend tells the tale of a champion that could steal Death's top box office spot -- and that champion, ladies and gentlemen, is named Steve.

Preliminary estimates of Friday's box office intake show a fierce battle between "The Final Destination," the fourth and potentially final installment of the death-heavy horror franchise, and "All About Steve," the debuting romantic comedy starring Bradley Cooper and Sandra Bullock. "Destination" is edging the rom-com by such a slim margin that it's difficult to call a clear winner, a fact that is further complicated because "All About Steve" is playing in fewer theaters than the horror flick. All told, "Steve" has the better per screen average thus far.

Box office numbers are smaller than usual this weekend thanks to Labor Day's outdoor festivities, though some might be curious about Kevin Smith's indoor plans. Nonetheless, it's somewhat surprising that the Bullock/Cooper comedy isn't performing higher, as both actors starred in two of the summer's bigger hits: Bullock in "The Proposal" and Cooper in "The Hangover."

While "The Final Destination" grapples with "All About Steve" for the box office victory, another weekend newcomer, "Gamer," is in third place with a $3.3 million Friday. The actioner was expected to win the weekend, but a third place start isn't necessarily so bad -- "Crank," helmed by "Gamer" filmmakers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, opened to the same number during Labor Day weekend in 2006 and still managed to yield a sequel. Perhaps "Gamer" will unlock a similar achievement.

One film that isn't posting the same business as its predecessor is the Rob Zombie-helmed "Halloween II." The first installment of the rebooted franchise holds the record for highest opening day ever for a Labor Day debut at $10.9 million, while the sequel is starting its second weekend with a mere $1.7 million.

"Extract," one of the other new releases of the weekend, landed in 8th place on Friday with a $1.3 million opening -- but with barely 1,500 theaters showing the film, the result could certainly be worse.

Are you taking in any movies this Labor Day weekend, or are you all about the sunshine? Tell us about your Labor Day plans and your moviegoing experiences in the comments or on Twitter!

Tags All About Steve, district 9, extract, Gamer, Halloween II, inglourious basterds, The Final Destination