There’s no doubt about it … Christmas has definitely arrived early in theaters.
Perhaps rewarding him for being a very good boy all year, audiences came out in droves over the weekend to see Jim Carrey‘s personification of the classic Dr. Seuss miser the Grinch. And the results?
“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” took in an estimated $55.1 million at the box office this weekend, making it the second highest-grossing film this year its first week out after Tom Cruise‘s summer actioner “M:1-2,” per estimates released today.
“The Grinch‘s” hefty take more than doubles Carrey‘s last box office debut, “Me, Myself & Irene‘s” $24 million back in June.
Undoubtedly a weekend for the kiddies, the animated “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” came in at No. 2 with a strong $23 million. The first installment of the franchise, “Rugrats: The Movie,” grossed more than $100 million domestically in 1998.
After having reigned the box office for two consecutive weeks, “Charlie’s Angels” dropped to the third spot with an estimated $13.7 million. The film has so far grossed $93.6 mil and is poised to break the $100 million mark this coming week.
Coming in at fourth is Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s return-to-form actioner “The 6th Day” with $13.2 million. And rounding out the Top Five is the Ben Affleck–Gwyneth Paltrow romance “Bounce” with an estimated $11.5 million.
Meanwhile, notable drops include Adam Sandler‘s “Little Nicky“, which went from last weekend’s second place to this week’s No. 7 spot with an estimated $7.7 million, and the Mars flick “Red Planet,” which debuted at No. 5 last week but barely locked in the No. 10 spot this weekend with $2.7 million.
Here are the weekend’s Top 10 films, per estimates released by Exhibitor Relations (final figures will be released Monday):
1. “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” $55.1 million (new) 2. “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie,” $23 million (new) 3 “Charlie’s Angels,” $13.7 million ($93.6 million total) 4. “The 6th Day,” $13.2 million (new) 5. “Bounce,” $11.5 million (new) 6. “Men of Honor,” $8.01 million ($25 million total) 7. “Little Nicky,” $7.7 million ($26.5 million total) 8. “Meet the Parents,” $6.4 million ($138.5 million total) 9. “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” $2.92 million ($25.3 million total) 10. “Red Planet,” $2.74 million ($13.4 million total)
(POSTED: 11/19/00 at 2 p.m. ET)
