The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.
Three new movies opened in wide release this weekend taking over the top three spots at the box office. Despite a lot of star power and high concept premises, none of them were able to gross more than $20 million, attributed in some part to the huge snowstorms that hit the Eastern seaboard and the MidWest on Friday, leading to one of the slowest pre-Christmas box office showings in a long time.
Comedy superstar Jim Carrey headlined the comedy Yes Man (Warner Bros.), which bore a similar premise to his earlier hit Liar Liar, and though it only grossed $18.2 million in 3,434 theaters over the weekend, it was enough to take the #1 spot this weekend. It opened just ahead of Will Smith’s enigmatic drama Seven Pounds (Sony), which made $16 million in 700 fewer theaters, averaging $5,800 per venue. It’s the weakest opening for a movie starring Will Smith since Michael Mann’s Ali in 2001.
The animated fantasy The Tale of Despereaux (Universal) opened in third place with a disappointing $10.5 million in 3,104 theaters, although it’s likely to take advantage of the Christmas holidays to pick up business much like past family Christmas films like Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web.
20th Century Fox’s remake of the 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still starring Keanu Reeves, plummeted in its second weekend, dropping 67% to 4th place with $10.1 million to bring its total take to $48.6 million, a far cry from its $80 million production budget.
The holiday comedy Four Christmases (New Line/WB), starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, crossed the $100 million mark this weekend as it dropped to fifth place with $7.7 million.
Sixth and seventh place were taken up by the hit romantic thriller Twilight (Summit Entertainment) with $5.3 million and a total gross of $158 million and Disney’s animated Bolt with $4.2 million and a total of $95 million after five weeks.
After winning a number of critics’ awards and being nominated for a number of SAGs, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) finally broke into the Top 10 with $3.1 million, enough for 8th place. It’s grossed $12.1 million without ever playing in more than 600 theaters.
Baz Luhrmann’s Australia (20th Century Fox) settled into ninth place with $2.3 million and a total of $42 million, while Sony’s Quantum of Solace rounded out the Top 10 with $2.1 million and a total gross of $161.3 million.
Opening in limited release on Wednesday, Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight), starring Mickey Rourke, grossed $210 thousand in four theaters over the weekend (averaging a strong $52k per site) and $295 thousand in its first five days.
Click here for the full box office results of the top 12 films.
