Although box office experts weren't expecting 'Death at a Funeral' to come out the gate at No. 1, the film's estimated gross was disappointing considering the heavy push by Screen Gems.

Coming in fourth place while playing in 2,459 theaters, the comedy took in a little over $17 million with an average of $6,913 per screen, which actually was the highest of the top 10 films. Many predictors had the film grossing in the mid-20s.

A remake of the 2007 British film of the same name, this R-rated version starred a bevy of talent, including Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence, Loretta Devine, Ron Glass, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short and Kevin Hart.

With a production budget of $21 million, the film should be able to make a profit.

According to boxofficeguru.com, studio research showed that 56 percent of the audience was female and 25 or older.

By comparison, the last African American film featuring a trio of comedians was 2008's 'Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,' which starred Martin Lawrence, Oscar winner Mo'Nique, Mike Epps and Cedric the Entertainer. Playing in 2,387 theates, that PG-13 film grossed $16.2 million, which landed it in second place at the box office its opening weekend. It also average the same as 'Death' with $6,790 per screen. Produced for $35 million, its total domestic numbers were $42.4 million.

Meanwhile, the film that was heavily hyped but came in second place was the action packed 'Kick-Ass.' Starring Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage, 'Kick' took in $19.7 million.

The animated film 'How to Train Your Dragon,' was the top film with $20 million. It has grossed $158.6 million in 24 days.

Coming in third place was the Tina Fey-Steve Carell comedy 'Date Night,' which took in an estimated $17.3 million. It now has a total of $49.2 million in 10 days.

Tyler Perry's 'Why Did I Get Married Too?' dipped 62 percent this past weekend and grossed $4.9 million. Its total cume is now at $54 million, making it the sixth Perry film to surpass the $50-million plateau.