The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.
Paramount’s Beowulf earned an estimated $28.1 million from 3,153 theaters to easily top the box office over the three-day weekend. The Robert Zemeckis-directed epic, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, features the performances and voices of Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Dominic Keating, Alison Lohman, Robin Wright Penn and Crispin Glover. The film marks the widest release yet of a digital 3-D film, with 40% of the total coming from ust 740 3-D screens. The movie was made for about $150 milion.
Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie, also carrying a price tag of $150 million, continues to do well, coming in at second place in its third weekend with $14.3 million. The DreamWorks Animation comedy has collected $93.9 million so far.
Universal’s American Gangster, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, crossed the $100 million mark after grossing another $13.2 million. The crime-drama was made for $100 million and has earned $101 million.
Warner Bros. holiday comedy Fred Claus, starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti, dropped a spot to fourth with $12 million. The movie is up to $35.8 million after two weeks.
20th Century Fox’s new fantasy-comedy Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium rounded out the top five, making $10 million from 3,164 theaters. Written and directed by Zach Helm, the film stars Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman.
Miramax increased the theater count for No Country for Old Men to 148, in which it earned a strong $3.1 million, averaging $20,932 per location. The Coen brothers thriller, with Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson and Kelly Macdonald, has earned $4.9 million in two weeks.
Javier Bardem’s other new drama, Love in the Time of Cholera, didn’t fare as well, collecting just $1.9 million from 852 theaters, an average of $2,247.
Moviegoers stayed away from Ricard Kelly’s Southland Tales, which saw sales of just $117,000 from 63 theaters. On the other hand, Paramount Vantage’s Margot at the Wedding, starring Nicole Kidman, Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh, made $83,000 from just 2 theaters.
The weekend was down 30% from last year, when Happy Feet and Casino Royale earned $41.5 million and $40.8 million, respectively.
Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films.
