Debuting with very strong (albeit not staggering) box office numbers is the long-anticipated return of the Caped Crusader. Christopher Nolan‘s "Batman Begins" handily hooked the #1 spot at the box office this weekend, hauling in just under $47 million over the three-day frame. Toss in the Wednesday and Thursday numbers and the new-fangled bat-flick stands with a fairly impressive five-day tally of $71.1 million.
Strong numbers, to be sure, but most industry experts are certain that WB was hoping for a somewhat bigger haul. Positive word-of-mouth will help the bat to maintain some strong legs, but there’s some pretty impressive competition on the way. (Plus, regardless of the 5-day tally and future box office potential, the bat-fans seem entirely thrilled with the flick, which means that DVD sales will undoubtedly be very brisk.)
Continuing to do some strong business is the Brad Pitt / Angelina Jolie action comedy "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which grossed $27.3 million in its second frame, while third place went to "Madagascar," with $11.1 million. Still hanging in there is "Revenge of the Sith," which pulled in an additional $9.7 million for fourth place, and "The Longest Yard" snagged fifth place with an $8 million weekend.
The Hilary Duff comedy "The Perfect Man" debuted rather unimpressively, bringing in only $5.5 million. Next week sees the arrival of Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in "Bewitched," Lindsay Lohan and a super-smart car in "Herbie: Fully Loaded," and lots of cannibal corpses in George Romero‘s "Land of the Dead."
For a closer look at the box office business, feel free to take a visit to the Rotten Tomatoes Box Office Page!
