HOLLYWOOD - The Fockers celebrated New Years in style.The comedy sequel Meet the Fockers stayed on top for the second week in a row, taking in another hefty $42.8 million, while Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events moved up several notches to come in second with $14.7 million. Martin Scorsese's Oscar-baiter The Aviator also rose up the list to round out the top three with $11.2 million.
Fockers also set records for the biggest gross on New Year's Eve, with $12.2 million, and on New Year's Day, with $18 million. The previous New Year's Eve record was set in 2000 by Cast Away with $8.5 million. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King had held the New Year's Day mark with $12.8 million.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $125.4 million, up 5.77 percent from last weekend's $118.5 million take but down 4.38 percent from last year's draw of $120.1 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 for the third week with $28.1 million in 3,703 theaters, averaging $7,610 per theater; 20th Century Fox's PG-rated Cheaper By the Dozen, which came in second place in its second week with $21.6 million in 3,307 theaters, averaging $6,545 per theater; and Sony Pictures' PG-13 rated Something's Gotta Give, which moved up to third place in its fourth week with $11.7 million in 2,808 theaters, averaging $4,168 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Meet the Fockers (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $42.8 million (-7%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,524 (+6)
• Per-theater average: $12,145
• Cume to date: $163.4 million
No. 2: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Paramount, PG)
• Gross: $14.7 million (+17%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,623 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $4,057
• Cume to date: $94.7 million
No. 3: The Aviator (Miramax, PG-13)
• Gross: $11.2 million (+30%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1796 (-1)
• Per-theater average: $6,259
• Cume to date: $31 million
No. 4: Fat Albert (20th Century Fox, PG)
• Gross: $10.7 million (+7%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,744 (+70)
• Per-theater average: $3,909
• Cume to date: $33.8 million
No. 5: Ocean's Twelve (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $9.2 million (+10%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 3,290 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $2,809
• Cume to date: $106.8 million
No. 6: National Treasure (Buena Vista, PG)
• Gross: $7 million (+77%)
• Weeks opened: 7
• Theaters: 2,282 (+81)
• Per-theater average: $3,068
• Cume to date: $154.7 million
No. 7: Spanglish (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $6.3 million (+36%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,489 (+48)
• Per-theater average: $2,531
• Cume to date: $31 million
No. 8: The Polar Express (Warners Bros., G)
• Gross: $5.7 million (-12%)
• Weeks opened: 8
• Theaters: 2,513 (-105)
• Per-theater average: $2,280
• Cume to date: $155.2 million
No. 9: Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $4.8 million (+20%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 622 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $7,741
• Cume to date: $16.2 million
No. 10: Darkness (20th Century Fox, PG)
• Gross: $4.5 million (-26%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 1,718 (+18)
• Per-theater average: $2,644
• Cume to date: $16.5 million
OTHER OPENINGS
The Merchant of Venice (Sony Pictures Classics, R)
• Gross: $73,168
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 4
• Per-theater average: $18,292
In Good Company (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $156,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3
• Per-theater average: $52,000