HOLLYWOOD - An overgrown elf from the North Pole drew more moviegoers than any of this week's new wide releases as Elf took the No. 1 spot in its second week with a cheery $27.2 million* at the weekend box office.Elf's impressive pre-holiday take was enough to beat out Russell Crowe's Napoleonic War epic, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which followed in close second with $25.7 million.
Last week's box office champ, The Matrix Revolutions, lost more than 60 percent of its audience in its second week. The third and final chapter of The Matrix trilogy took in $16.3 million to place third.
Revolutions's take, however, was enough to push it past the $100 million mark, making it the 22nd film in 2003 to do so. Scary Movie 3, which came in seventh this week, became the 23rd film this year to cross $100 million. By comparison, a record 24 films beat that benchmark in 2002.
Animated fare rounded out the Top Five with Brother Bear taking in $12 million to take fourth place followed by Looney Tunes: Back in Action, which came in at No. 5 with $9.5 million.
THE TOP TEN
New Line Cinema's PG rated holiday comedy Elf captured the No. 1 title for the first time in its second week of release with a remarkable ESTIMATED $27.2 million (-12%) at 3,381 theaters (+44 theaters; $8,056 per theater). Its cume is approximately $71.2 million.
Directed by Jon Favreau, it stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen.
Twentieth Century Fox's PG-13 rated naval epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World debuted in second place with an ESTIMATED $25.7 million at 3,101 theaters, with a brawny $8,296 per theater average--the highest of any film playing this week.
Set against the backdrop of Napoleonic Wars, the film revolves around Capt. Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon, who sail out to see the richness and strangeness of life on the far side of the world.
Directed by Peter Weir, it stars Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany.
Warner Bros. R rated sci-fi actioner The Matrix Revolutions dropped two notches to third place in its second week with an ESTIMATED $25.7 million (-66%) in 3,502 theaters (unchanged; $4,660 per theater). Its cume is approximately $114.1 million.
Directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, it stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving.
Buena Vista's G rated animated film Brother Bear dropped one spot to fourth place in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $16.3 million (-35%) in 3,030 theaters (unchanged; $4,660 per theater). Its cume is approximately $63 million.
Directed by Aaron Blaise and Bob Walker, it features the voices of Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, D.B. Sweeney and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Warner Bros.' PG rated live action feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action opened in fifth place with an ESTIMATED $9.5 million in 2,903 theaters with a $3,276 per theater average.
In the film, Daffy Duck gets tired of playing second fiddle to Bugs Bunny and quits Hollywood, teams up with recently fired stuntman Bobby Delmont and embarks on an around-the-world adventure to find a missing blue diamond.
Directed by Joe Dante, it stars Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin, Timothy Dalton and Heather Locklear.
*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.