Danny Ocean and his gang of thieves robbed the box office crown from National Treasure‘s chest this weekend.
The heist sequel Ocean’s Twelve–starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon–debuted at No. 1 with a hefty $40.8 million, relegating reigning champ National Treasure to third place. Blade: Trinity, which opened Wednesday, took second place with $16.1 million, followed by Treasure with $9.9 million.
Ocean’s Twelve became the fourth highest December opener of all time, besting the original Ocean’s Eleven, which opened in 2001 with $38.1 million, while Blade: Trinity, the third installment in the vampire hunter franchise starring Wesley Snipes, fell below expectations set out by its predecessors, including Blade, which opened in 1998 with $17 million and Blade II, which opened in 2002 with $32.5 million.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $102.8 million, up 30.08 percent from last weekend’s $79 million take and up 28.04 percent from last year’s draw of $80.2 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Sony Pictures PG-13 rated Something’s Gotta Give, which opened at the No. 1 spot with $16 million in 2,677 theaters, averaging $6,001 per theater; Warner Bros. R-rated The Last Samurai, which dropped to second place in its second week with $14 million in 2,908 theaters, averaging $4,844 per theater; and 20th Century Fox’s PG-13 rated Stuck on You, which debuted in third place with $9.4 million in 3,003 theaters, averaging $3,134 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Ocean’s Twelve (Warner Bros., PG-13)
Gross: $40.8 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 3,290
Per-theater average: $12,426
No. 2: Blade: Trinity (New Line Cinema, R)
Gross: $16.1 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 2,912
Per-theater average: $5,537
Cume to date: $24.5 million (opened Wednesday)
No. 3: National Treasure (Buena Vista, PG)
Gross: $9.9 million (-41%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 3,203 (-40)
Per-theater average: $3,115
Cume to date: $124.2 million
No. 4: The Polar Express (Warners Bros., G)
Gross: $9.7 million (-9%)
Weeks opened: 5
Theaters: 3,257 (-393)
Per-theater average: $2,998
Cume to date: $110 million
No. 5: Christmas with the Kranks (Sony Pictures, PG)
Gross: $7.6 million (-32%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 3,294 (-122)
Per-theater average: $2,307
Cume to date: $54.7 million
No. 6: The Incredibles (Buena Vista/Pixar, PG)
Gross: $5 million (-44%)
Weeks opened: 6
Theaters: 2,656 (-522)
Per-theater average: $1,899
Cume to date: $232.5 million
No. 7: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (Paramount Pictures, PG)
Gross: $4.3 million (-43%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 3,307 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $1,318
Cume to date: $73.5 million
No. 8: Closer (Sony Pictures, R)
Gross: $3.7 million (-51%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 622 (+146)
Per-theater average: $6,029
Cume to date: $13.7 million
No. 9: Finding Neverland (Miramax, PG)
Gross: $1.6 million (-39%)
Weeks opened: 5
Theaters: 537 (+11)
Per-theater average: $3,151
Cume to date: $14.2 million
No. 10: Alexander (Warner Bros., R)
Gross: $1.4 million (-70%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 2,125 (-320)
Per-theater average: $661
Cume to date: $32.5 million
OTHER OPENINGS
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Buena Vista, R)
Gross: $114,000
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 2
Per-theater average: $57,000
