With an estimated $20million in ticket sales, Liam Neeson’s newest action film ‘The Grey’ was number one in Northern American box offices this past weekend.

The New York Times writes that Neeson was a part of ‘The Grey’ before a studio ever got involved. The movie, about a group of oil drillers who are hunted by wolves, was sold for $5 million to Open Road Films after it had wrapped production.

With his recent successes in action films, including ‘The A-Team’, any project with Liam Neeson attached is bound to be a successful venture.

Aside from having Neeson at the forefront of ‘The Grey,’ Sean O’Connor for Cinema Blend wrote that “audiences turned out for ‘The Grey’ because it offered something wholly original.”
_____________
Read More:

Hollywood star Liam Neeson says he may convert to Islam

Review - A “Grey” day for Liam Neeson - VIDEO

Liam Neeson says action movie “The Grey” was one of his toughest shoots – VIDEO
_____________

In other box office news, ‘The Grey’ may have won out for its first weekend in theatres, but in a not so close second place was ‘Underworld: Awakening’ which was first place the previous weekend. Katherine Heigl’s newest film ‘One for the Money’ came in third.

The announcement of Oscar nominations last week also help bolster a breath of fresh air into some films that have already been out for some time. George Clooney’s ‘The Descendants’ and the black-and-white silent film ‘The Artist’ saw bumps in sales after both being nominated for Best Picture.

‘Albert Nobbs,’ which scooped up 3 Oscar nominations including Glenn Close for Best Actress, had a strong opening for its limited relase. At only 245 theaters, the film about a woman passing as a man in early 19th century Dublin took in just over $822,00 - a “strong” opening according to Reuters.

Did you see Neeson in ‘The Grey’ over the weekend? What did you think?