The box office bounced back over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend as
moviegoers spread their dollars across a wide variety of films which
collectively helped to bring the marketplace back to life after a mostly
uneventful fall season. Disney led the way with its new family pic Enchanted,
which ruled the multiplexes, but a surprisingly potent opening for the holiday
comedy This Christmas contributed to the weekend’s success too. Other new
releases were sprinkled across the top ten which virtually matched the
Thanksgiving numbers posted over each of the last two years. An unprecedented
eleven films each grossed $8M or more over the frame as every audience segment
found something to see over the long holiday weekend.
For the first time in eight years, Disney opened a new release at number one
over the turkey frame. The studio’s princess tale Enchanted
powered past all
competitors to bow on top with an estimated $35.3M over the Friday-to-Sunday
period and an incredible $50M across the five-day holiday span which began on
Wednesday. That led to a muscular $9,472 average from an ultrawide 3,730 sites
over three days. The PG-rated story of an animated princess who encounters the
live-action world posted the second biggest five-day opening ever over the
Thanksgiving session.
The only hit to debut better was 1999’s
Toy Story 2 from Disney and Pixar with
$80.1M which was also the studio’s last new pic to bow at number one over this
frame. From 1994 to 1999, the Mouse House consistently debuted a new family film
each year at number one over this lucrative holiday frame. Enchanted should have
no problem finding its way into the century club.
Beating expectations to open in the number two spot was the family reunion film
This Christmas which debuted to an estimated $18.6M over three days and a
stunning $27.1M over the five-day period. Sony’s inexpensive $13M production
averaged a potent $10,011 over three days from only 1,858 theaters for the best
average among wide releases. The feel-good holiday pic brought in two-thirds of
its business from African-American moviegoers proving once again how powerful
that audience is at the box office. Look for This Christmas to finish up as a
very profitable venture.
Last week’s top warrior Beowulf
dropped 41% to an estimated $16.2M and landed in
third place. With $56.4M in its treasure chest after ten days, the
$150M-budgeted Paramount release should conclude its domestic run with about
$80-90M.
Competing actioner Hitman
debuted in fourth place with an estimated $13M over
three days from 2,458 locations. Averaging a decent $5,303 per venue, the
R-rated film about a super-assassin was adapted from a popular video game. Over
five days, Hitman shot up $21M for Fox which was targeting many of the same
young males that were going to see Beowulf.
The animated hit Bee
Movie followed in fifth with an estimated $12M, off just
14%, for a $112.1M sum to date for Paramount. Warner Bros. was close behind with
rival family offering
Fred Claus
which dipped 10% to an estimated $10.7M pushing
the total to $53.1M.
Studio stablemate August Rush opened in seventh place with an estimated $9.4M
over three days and $13.3M across five days. The family drama about a young
musical genius averaged a moderate $4,082 over the Friday-to-Sunday period.
American Gangster remained strong in its fourth frame grossing an estimated
$9.2M, down 29%, upping its cume for Universal to $115.8M.
Two more new wide releases rounded out the top ten. The Mist, a terror tale
based on a Stephen King story, debuted in ninth place with an estimated $9.1M
with a five-day take of $13M. Attacking 2,423 theaters, the R-rated film
averaged a mild $3,740 over three days. Horror films typically do not see huge
numbers over Thanksgiving weekend as most moviegoers are in the mood for more
cheery and upbeat films. Miramax expanded its Coen brothers hit
No Country for
Old Men into nationwide release and captured an estimated $8.1M over three days.
The crime thriller averaged a superb $9,433 and lifted its total to $16.6M.
Opening to solid results from the arthouses was the
Bob Dylan pic
I’m Not There which grossed an estimated $757,000 from just 130 venues over the three-day
period. The Weinstein Co. release averaged a respectable $5,823 per site and
collected $1M over the long holiday session.
The top ten films grossed $141.8M over the weekend which was up less than 1%
from last year when Happy Feet remained at number one with $37M; but off 1% from
2005 when
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire stayed on top with $54.7M.
Author: Gitesh Pandya, www.BoxOfficeGuru.com
