Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally a momentous week at the box office for most studios, as families gather around to catch a flick together after stuffing their faces with mashed potatoes. This year was no different, as the record for total receipts over a Thanksgiving weekend was broken, totalling $185M. Interesting note: NONE of the new movies debuting this week made a dent into the Top 3. That's rare.
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon- $42.5M/$231M
A double edged sword would be the best way to describe New Moon's rampant succeess. On the good side, it's already bested Twilight's total haul by some $40M, and that's only in 8 days! On the other hand, it also set the record for the steepest drop in Thanksgiving weekend history, tumbling 70%, and is the first film ever to dip $100M over that same span. Oy. Not that it matters. When you pull in nearly $200M your first shot out of the gate, everything from that point on is gravy.
2. The Blind Side- $40.1M/$100M
The real champion this week is Sandra Bullock's The Blind Side, which surged a blazing 18% up from last week and nearly drove the vamps out of the sunlight. The sports drama, which tells the story of Baltimore Ravens OL Michael Oher, was a big hit with both men and women, and did especially strong business thanks to it's family friendly storyline. The film's budget was reportedly at $35M(what? where did that go?), so it has been hugely profitable for the studio.
3. 2012- $18M/$139M
Roland Emmerich's latest end of the world scenario ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon, but it's greatest boon has been overseas, where it continues to dominate to the total haul of $455M. Guh.
4. Old Dogs- $16.8M/$24.1M
The best thing I can say about this turd is that it ain't Wild Hogs. It's actually worse, in terms of debut numbers. Wild Hogs debuted to $39M, so I guess I should take this as a positive sign that the American moviegoing audience has wisened up.
5. A Christmas Carol- $16M/$105M
Robert Zemeckis's computer animated tale resumes it's strong hold from week to week, following a similar path as The Polar Express a few years ago. I expect it will maintain this hold all through the holiday season, but will fall short of the estimated $200M it cost to produce.
6. Ninja Assassin- $13.1M/$21M
As far as ninja movies go, this is probably the best that can be expected. Considering the film's somewhat understated $45M price tag, that's a pretty respectable debut.
7. Planet 51- $10.2M/$28.5M
8. Precious- $7.09M/$32.4M
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox- $7.02M/$10.1M
Wes Anderson's stop motion faery tale failed to lure in audiences this week, even with the massive record breaking totals. Expanding to just over 2,000 sites, it faces some pretty stiff animated competition soon when The Princess and the Frog debuts in two weeks.
10. The Men Who Stare at Goats- $1.52M/$30.5M
Also...
Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic drama, The Road, debuted at just 111 theatres and pulled in a massive $2M. The film expands to more theatres next week, and in my opinion is one of the few must sees for the rest of the year.
Disney's The Princess and the Frog opened at 2 theatres for a special event screening in NY and LA this weekend. To say it kicked arse is a huge understatement, as it sold out completely with some tickets ranging at $50(!!), and brought in a whopping $1.1M!
