Just in time for his annual Oscar party, Elton John's "Gnomeo and Juliet" hit no. 1 at the box office.

A rare achievement in its third week of wide release, "Gnomeo & Juliet" pulled in another $14.2 million for an estimated new cume of $75.1 million. The 3D animated tale will certainly pass the $100 million mark, but questions abound how much more the surprise hit could have made if the picture had been released under the Disney label instead of Touchstone Pictures. In any event, it's a great achievement for Elton and his producing team who worked hard with former Disney studio head Dick Cook to get the film made.

The weekend's expected top flick, "Hall Pass," instead found itself in the second slot with a disappointing $13.2 million. The Farrelly Bros. comedy grossed just $13.2 million. Warner Bros. was hoping to hit the $18 million mark, but the combination of Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson just didn't click with audiences.

The third slot went to the Liam Neeson thriller "Unknown" which grossed another $12.4 million for a 10 day take of $42 million. The Joel Silver produced thrill appears to be on its way to at least $70 million domestic.

Final box office results are released on February 28, 2011.

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