HOLLYWOOD - Christmas was good to the Fockers.The comedy sequel Meet the Fockers opened huge at the box office this Christmas weekend, raking in a hefty $44.7 million, while Fat Albert, a film adaptation of the popular '70s cartoon show, debuted in second with $12.7 million.
Fockers became the biggest Christmas opener ever, beating out Catch Me If You Can, which opened in 2002 with $30 million. "[Meet the Fockers] is a clash of cultures," said Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures told The Associated Press. "It's about the coming together of completely different families, but that's exactly what the world is going through right now."
Other new releases to make it to the top 10 included the thriller Darkness, starring Anna Paquin, opened in sixth place with $6.4 million, while Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera premiered at No. 10 with $4.2 million, in a limited release.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $121.9 million, up 23.08 percent from last weekend's $99 million take but down 26.47 percent from last year's draw of $165.8 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were: New Line's PG-13 rated The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, stayed at No. 1 in it second week with $50.5 million in 3,703 theaters, averaging $13,664 per theater; 20th Century Fox's PG-rated Cheaper By the Dozen, which opened with $27.5 million in 3,298 theaters, averaging $8,356 per theater; and Miramax's R-rated Cold Mountain, which opened in third place with $14.5 million in 2,163 theaters, averaging $6,738 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Meet the Fockers (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $44.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,518
• Per-theater average: $12,706
• Cume to date: $68.5 million (opened Wednesday)
No. 2: Fat Albert (20th Century Fox, PG)
• Gross: $12.7 million (opened Saturday)
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,674
• Per-theater average: $4,749
No. 3: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Paramount, PG)
• Gross: $12.5 million (-58%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,623
• Per-theater average: $3,450
• Cume to date: $59.2 million
No. 4: The Aviator (Miramax, PG-13)
• Gross: $9.4 million (+997%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 1796 (+1756, expanded release)
• Per-theater average: $5,242
• Cume to date: $10.7 million
No. 5: Ocean's Twelve (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $8.6 million (-52%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,290 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $2,678
• Cume to date: $86.8 million
No. 6: Darkness (20th Century Fox, PG)
• Gross: $6.4 million (opened Saturday)
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,700
• Per-theater average: $3,784
No. 7: The Polar Express (Warners Bros., G)
• Gross: $6.2 million (-25%)
• Weeks opened: 7
• Theaters: 2,702 (-168)
• Per-theater average: $2,330
• Cume to date: $140 million
No. 8: Spanglish (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $5 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,441 (+3)
• Per-theater average: $2,048
• Cume to date: $18.5 million
No. 9: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Buena Vista, R)
• Gross: $4.8 million
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,105 (+1,103, expanded release)
• Per-theater average: $4,417
• Cume to date: $5.2 million
No. 10: Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $4.2 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 622
• Per-theater average: $6,752
• Cume to date: $6.5 million (opened Wednesday)
OTHER OPENINGS
Hotel Rwanda (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $111,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 7
• Per-theater average: $15,857
The Woodsman (Newmarket, R)
• Gross: $61,198
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 6
• Per-theater average: $10,200