National Treasure once again gobbled up the competition at the box office this Thanksgiving weekend.
Jerry Bruckheimer‘s latest action adventure held onto the No. 1 spot for the second week in a row with a meaty $46.2 million total over the five-day weekend, while The Incredibles moved up a notch to take second place with $33.2 million.
Powered by less-than-stellar reviews, however, the newcomers on the block didn’t fare quite as well this holiday weekend. The comedy Christmas with the Kranks, starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, opened in third spot with $32 million, while the epic Oliver Stone film Alexander, starring Colin Farrell as the Macedonian conqueror, debuted in sixth place with a very weak $21.3 million.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $214.9 million over five days, making it the second biggest Thanksgiving weekend ever, behind 2000’s five-day total of $232.1 million, with Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas at No. 1. This weekend’s grosses were also up 8.11 percent from last weekend’s $143.1 million take and up 5.09 percent from last year’s five-day draw of $204.4 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were: Universal’s PG-rated Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, which stayed at the No. 1 spot for the second week with $32.9 million in 3,464 theaters, averaging $7,061 per theater; Buena Vista’s PG-rated The Haunted Mansion, which debuted in second place with $34 million in 3,122 theaters, averaging $7,777 per theater; and New Line’s PG-rated Elf, which held onto third place in its fourth week with $30.9 million in 3,202 theaters, averaging $6,761 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES: (Reflects five-day totals)
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: National Treasure (Buena Vista, PG)
Gross: $46.2 million (-6%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 3,243 (+226)
Per-theater average: $10,195
Cume to date: $87.9 million
No. 2: The Incredibles (Buena Vista/Pixar, PG)
Gross: $33.2 million (-9%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 3,453 (-230)
Per-theater average: $6,974
Cume to date: $214.7 million
No. 3: Christmas with the Kranks (Sony Pictures, PG)
Gross: $32 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 3,393
Per-theater average: $6,690
No. 4: The Polar Express (Warners Bros., G)
Gross: $27.1 million (+28%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 3,650 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $5,495
Cume to date: $82.1 million
No. 5: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (Paramount Pictures, PG)
Gross: $23.4 million (-44%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 3,307
Per-theater average: $5,383
Cume to date: $58.6 million
No. 6: Alexander (Warner Bros., R)
Gross: $21.6 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 2,445
Per-theater average: $5,499
No. 7: Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason (Universal, R)
Gross: $9.1 million (-32%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 2,473 (+23)
Per-theater average: $2,750
Cume to date: $32.5 million
No. 8: Finding Neverland (Miramax, PG)
Gross: $6.3 million (expanded, +462%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 513 (+456)
Per-theater average: $9,173
Cume to date: $7.8 million
No. 9: Ray (Universal, PG-13)
Gross: $5 million (-15%)
Weeks opened: 5
Theaters: 1,499 (-521)
Per-theater average: $2,602
Cume to date: $65 million
No. 10: After the Sunset (New Line, PG-13)
Gross: $3.3 million (-34%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 2,309 (-510)
Per-theater average: $1,440
Cume to date: $24.5 million
OTHER OPENINGS
A Very Long Engagement (Warner Indie Pictures, R)
Gross: $106,001
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 4
Per-theater average: $26,500
