So the weekend box office race is underway ... and early indications from the Friday #'s are that "The Game Plan" will score a narrow victory over "The Kingdom."

The Rock's latest attempt to prove he's a bankable star appears to have succeeded. The film earned about $6.2M Friday, compared to $5.9M for Peter Berg's politically charged action pic. If those figures hold up through Sunday, it will prove once again that 'fish out of water' comedies are a surefire way for a Tough Guy actor like the former Commander-in-Chief of Jabroni Nation to score box-office points.

Arnold Schwarzenegger pretty much started it all when he argued that "it's not a too-mah!" in 1990's "KINDERGARTEN COP" ... and Vin Diesel reversed the downward spiral of his career with 2005's "THE PACIFIER," which earned an obscene $113M!!

Robert De Niro has been cashing in on his serious onscreen persona for years, most notably with "MEET THE PARENTS" & "MEET THE FOCKERS." Of course, showing your lighter side doesn't work for everyone.
Just ask Sylvester Stallone how much good "RHINESTONE," "OSCAR" and "STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT!" did for his career.

But it looks like The Rock has finally broken out of the crowded field of highly-paid, heavily-promoted actors and shown he can lure fans into the theater. Now let's see if he can do it with better material.

We'll update the weekend box office race tomorrow night...