HOLLYWOOD - Johnny Depp's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory proves the B.O. is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're going to get.Four new films debuted in wide release at the box office this weekend, but none of them was able to beat last week's Top Three contenders.
At least two high-profile pics, The Island and The Bad News Bears, opened in more than 3,000 theaters but could not dent the armors of the whipple-scrumptious Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the Frat Pack's matrimonious Wedding Crashers and Marvel's marvelous Fantastic Four.
The Island, starring Scarlett Johansson, brought in a barely-buoyant $12.1 million, while The Bad News Bears, featuring Billy Bob Thornton, bunted a single with an un-sportsmanlike $11.5 million. The hip-hop masterpiece Hustle & Flow and corpse-crammed sequel The Devil's Rejects, which both premiered in less than 2,000 screens, made the bottom half of the week's Top 10, in seventh and eight places respectively.
The Top 12 films grossed an estimated $128.1 million, down 7.76 percent from last year's draw of $138.8 million and also down 17.71 percent from last weekend's $155.6 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Universal's PG-13 The Bourne Supremacy, which opened in the No. 1 spot with $52.5 million in 3,165 theaters, averaging $16,595 per theater; Sony Pictures' PG-13 rated Spider-Man 2, which dropped to second place in its third week with $24.7 million in 4,058 theaters, averaging $6,105 per theater; and Warner Bros.' PG-13 rated Catwoman, which debuted in third place with $16.7 million in 3,117 theaters, averaging $5,367 per theater. (Click here to read last year's box office report)
(This week's box office Top 10 below...)
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $28.3 million (-50%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,790 (+20)
• Per-theater average: $7,467
• Cume to date: $114.1 million
No. 2: The Wedding Crashers (New Line, R)
• Gross: $26.2 million (-23%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,925 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $8,957
• Cume to date: $80.9 million
No. 3: Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $12.7 million (-46%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,449 (-170)
• Per-theater average: $3,559
• Cume to date: $122.5 million
No. 4: The Island (Dreamworks, PG-13)
• Gross: $12.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,122
• Per-theater average: $3,876
No. 5: The Bad News Bears (Paramount, PG-13)
• Gross: $11.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,183
• Per-theater average: $3,613
No. 6: War of the Worlds (Paramount Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $8.8 million (-42%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,265 (-459)
• Per-theater average: $2,703
• Cume to date: $208.3 million
No. 7: Hustle & Flow (Paramount Classics, R)
• Gross: $8.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,013
• Per-theater average: $7,996
No. 8: The Devil's Rejects (Lions Gate, R)
• Gross: $7 milllion
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,757
• Per-theater average: $3,984
No. 9: Batman Begins (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $4.7 million (-22%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,275 (-535)
• Per-theater average: $2,079
• Cume to date: $114.1 million
No. 10: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.6 million (-31%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,916 (454)
• Per-theater average: $1,892
• Cume to date: $174.5 million
OTHER OPENINGS
November (Sony Pictures Classics, R)
• Gross: $1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 8
• Per-theater average: $2,675