The Kazakhstanian does it again. Sacha Baron Cohen’s much-buzzed about comedy Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan took the top spot at the North American box office for the second weekend in a row with $29 million.
In fact, the top three movies remained unchanged from the previous weekend, with The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause coming in second place with $16.9 million and Flushed Away in third with $16.7 million.
Some analysts are now saying Borat should have opened in more theaters its opening weekend, to capitalize on the film’s pre-buzz, but Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox told the The Associated Press, “When a picture takes off like this, you can do it any way you want and you can’t screw it up, quite honestly, when a picture becomes a part of the culture like this.”
Out of the newcomers this weekend, Will Ferrell’s dramedy Stranger Than Fiction fared the best, debuting in fourth with $14.1 million. Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s supernatural thriller The Return opened in eighth place with $4.8 million, while the Russell Crowe–Ridley Scott reunion A Good Year was a big disappointment, opening only in tenth with $3.8 million. Harsh Times, a gritty street drama starring Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez, didn’t even make the top 10, grossing $1.8 million.
The Top 12 movies grossed $112.8 million this weekend, up 1.32 percent from last year’s draw of $111.3 but down 0.78 percent from last weekend’s total of $113.6 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Buena Vista’s Chicken Little, which stayed at No. 1 with $31.6 million for the second week of release in 3,658 theaters, averaging $8,653 per theater; Sony’s Zathura, which opened in second place with $13.4 million in 3,223 theaters, averaging $4,166 per theaters; and Weinstein Co.’s Derailed, which opened in third place with $12.2 million in 2,442 theaters, averaging $4,999 per theaters (Click here to read last year’s box office report).
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Borat (20th Century Fox, R)
• Gross: $29 million (+10%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,566 (+1,729)
• Per-theater average: $11,302
• Cume to date: $67.8 million
No. 2: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (Buena Vista, G)
• Gross: $16.8 million (-13%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,458 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $4,885
• Cume to date: $41 million
No. 3: Flushed Away (Paramount, PG)
• Gross: $16.7 million (-11%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,707 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $4,508
No. 4: Stranger Than Fiction (Sony, PG-13)
• Gross: $14.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,264
• Per-theater average: $6,228
No. 5: Saw III (Lionsgate, R)
• Gross: $6.6 million (-55%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,013 (-154)
• Per-theater average: $2,191
• Cume to date: $69.8 million
No. 6: Babel (Paramount Vantage, R)
• Gross: $5.6 million (+515%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,251 (+1,216)
• Per-theater average: $4,517
• Cume to date: $7.4 million
No. 7: The Departed (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $5.2 million (-32%)
• Weeks opened: 6
• Theaters: 2,210 (-575)
• Per-theater average: $2,371
• Cume to date: $109.7 million
No. 8: The Return (Focus/Rogue, PG-13)
• Gross: $4.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,984
• Per-theater average: $2,407
No. 9: The Prestige (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $4.6 million (-38%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,236 (-69)
• Per-theater average: $2,071
• Cume to date: $46 million
No. 10: A Good Year (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,066
• Per-theater average: $1,827
OTHER OPENINGS
Harsh Times (MGM, R)
• Gross: $1.8 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 956
• Per-theater average: $1,913
Copying Beethoven (MGM, PG-13)
• Gross: $72,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 26
• Per-theater average: $2,769
Come Early Morning (IDP, R)
• Gross: $51,700
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 22
• Per-theater average: $2,350
