ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: National Treasure Uncovers Holiday Gold at #1 Spot

Box Office Guru Wrapup: National Treasure Uncovers Holiday Gold at #1 Spot

Page | 1 2

Paramount gave the DreamWorks musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street a moderate national roll-out in 1,249 theaters and found itself with a solid fifth place bow with an estimated $9.4M. The Johnny Depp film directed by Tim Burton averaged an impressive $7,486 per site and earned good reviews from critics along with four Golden Globe nods. Studio research showed that Todd played slightly more female with 52% of the audience being women. Those over the age of 25 accounted for 65% of the crowd. The $50M film will expand further on January 11, however the road ahead could be bumpy given its surprising 25% plunge in ticket sales from Friday to Saturday. Other films saw their Saturday numbers match or exceed Friday's. Paramount is hoping this musical plays more like Dreamgirls than like Rent.

Also opening this weekend but to little fanfare was the romance P.S. I Love You which bowed in sixth with an estimated $6.5M. The Hilary Swank-Gerard Butler drama averaged a mild $2,651 from 2,454 theaters and played mostly to adult women. Critics were mostly underwhelmed. Disney's princess tale Enchanted dipped only 25% to an estimated $4.2M and boosted its cume to $98.4M. The Amy Adams hit will join the century club by Christmas.

The pre-holiday weekend's biggest casualty was the comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story which stumbled into eighth place with a dismal $4.1M, according to estimates. Produced by comedy king Judd Apatow and starring John C. Reilly, the R-rated film averaged a measly $1,547 per site Reviews were generally positive. By comparison, Apatow's other R-rated comedy hits this year Knocked Up and Superbad opened to $30.7M and $33.1M, respectively. Sony marketed Walk Hard as being from the man responsible for comedy hits like Superbad and Talladega Nights, but audiences did not bite this time. Walk Hard cost $35M to produce and proved that Apatow does not always have the golden touch.

The fantasy adventure The Golden Compass tumbled 55% in its third weekend to an estimated $4M and placed ninth. The New Line release has grossed only $48.4M domestically but has already taken in over $100M from outside of North America.

Rounding out the top ten was the indie comedy hit Juno with an estimated $3.4M from just 304 locations for a stellar $11,184 average. Fox Searchlight expanded the award-winning teen pregnancy pic from 40 locations last weekend and is still generating a strong average. With $6.4M in the bank, Juno is turning out to be the little-engine-that-could hit of the holiday season and will widen to 998 sites on Tuesday, Christmas Day.

A six-pack of films dropped out of the top ten over the weekend. The period piece Atonement saw its sales inch up by 9% to an estimated $2M putting the total for Focus at $5.8M. Fellow awards season contender No Country For Old Men fell 40% to an estimated $1.7M giving Miramax a cume of $36.7M.

The Perfect Holiday tumbled 56% to an estimated $1M in only its second weekend for a weak $4.5M for Yari Film Group. Sony's This Christmas has fared much better this season and grossed an estimated $925,000 pushing the cume to a solid $47.7M.

Warner Bros. saw steep drops for a pair of its releases. Vince Vaughn's Fred Claus crashed 66% and made an estimated $755,000 while August Rush fell 74% to an estimated $455,000. Totals to date stand at $70.5M and $29.5M, respectively.

The top ten films grossed an estimated $149.8M which was up a sturdy 45% from last year when Night at the Museum opened at number one with $30.4M over three days; and up a stunning 58% from 2005 when King Kong remained in the top spot with $21.3M in three days.

Author: Gitesh Pandya, www.BoxOfficeGuru.com

Related Items

Movie:	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
	Charlie Wilson's War
	P.S. I Love You

Page | 1 2

(1-20 of 37 posts) | Reply

Thundaar writes:
on Dec 23 2007 08:41 PM

Wanted to like National Treasure 2 -

Didn't.

Although I enjoy Nick Cage films (generally), he seems like he is sleep walking through films nowadays - at least that is what it seems like.

(Reply to this)

PennsylvaniaJames writes:
on Dec 23 2007 09:10 PM

Where is the justice in this world that the Alvin and Chipmunks trash makes much more money in the opening weekend than the great Walk Hard movie. Where I say? That's almost enough to make me lose faith in what people deem to be good movies. Seriously.

(Reply to this)

BatsInTheBelfry writes:
on Dec 23 2007 09:17 PM

Disappointing weekend at the movies. Walk Hard had some big laughs, but as a whole was nowhere near other Apatow comedies.

Sweeney Todd didn't do it for me at all. I'm sure some people will like it, but I could find very little good about it. The songs were mediocre, Helena Bonham Carter's singing voice sent me into shivers and Burton really over did it with the teen goth look this time. Over half the people in my theater walked out before it was over, though this is most likely do to the film not being upfront about being a musical.

On a side note, why do people crucify films like Prince of Thieves and the upcoming Valkyrie for lead actors not having proper accents, but seem fine with Johnny Depp not even attempting a British accent? It doesn't bother me personally, but it seems like an odd doble standard.

(Reply to this)

bribios writes:
on Dec 23 2007 10:11 PM

Because Johnny Depp has a fanbase that would pay money to eat his **** right out of his butt hole.

Still, despite what people say in a better world Sweeney Todd would have done better than NT 2 and Alvin and the Chipmunks. I'm sure once word got out that it was a musical though it lost a lot of potential customers.

Its partially my fault Walk Hard didn't do better, what with not going to the movies and all. I'm sure the extra 13 million I would have brought to the gross would have been nice for it.

And I ****ing hate Nicholas Cage. With the exceptions of Adaptation and Raising Arizona the guy bugs the crap out of me. His hair as of late has not been helping.

(Reply to this)

Bloody Mathias writes:
on Dec 23 2007 10:19 PM

I agree with Penn James.

National Treasure 2 and Alvin and the Chipmunks being hits while Sweeney Todd, Charlie Wilson and Walk Hard barely get an audience. Where's the justice?

(Reply to this)

BowieSwimmer writes:
on Dec 23 2007 10:43 PM

Nic Cage is one of the worst actors in Hollywood.
And yet he continues to get big budget films... so he can just sleepwalk his way through them. Its horrendous.

Plus, WHAT is Helen Mirren doing in this National Treasure? From her Oscar for The Queen, and then this?
PLEASEEE. The first one didn't even live up to its promise of a fun, carefree cinema event, and I don't plan to venture anywhere NEAR the new release.
Too bad this, Alvin and the Chipmunks [really?], and the overrated/mediocre I Am Legend are doing box office bonanza while legitimate, quality films are struggling.
Hopefully most of the films released this week end up have sizable legs, because many of them deserve a large audience.

Though, comparing Walk Hard to Knocked Up or Superbad is extremely hard to do. Apatow has even admitted how hard of a sell Walk Hard was going to be, while hilarious, straight-forward raunchy comedies [even if they do ultimately contain a message, as in Knocked Up] will garner an audience regardless.

I predict Sweeney Todd's Friday to Sunday plunge had nothing to do with negative word of mouth, but indeed rather the face that ads have hidden the fact that nearly 75% of the film is actually sung. A friend of mine mentioned how badly she wanted to see it, and when i mentioned it was a musical, she was honestly shocked.
Not that its a conventional musical mind you, but a musical nonetheless.
I'm seeing it Wednesday night; we'll see what happens.

What i DID see this weekend:
JUNO- wonderful stuff. While the hipster lingo at the very beginning feels a bit forced [especially coming out of Rainn Wilson's mouth in a cameo], the film finds its grove, and delivers. While saying its the Best Film of 2007 [as Ebert recently did] is a bit too much in my mind, it IS the best quirky indie film since Little Miss Sunshine, and should certainly be on top ten lists. Ellen Page is indeed an angle by the way. Hard Candy, then this- she'll break out BIG TIME. It'll happen soon. The odd comparisons to Napoleon Dynamite [which I've seen on some boards] is totally out of place. The feel good movie of the year that you don't have to bring the little ones to. T
he best sign for this film too? People from every age could be found in the theater; the woman sitting next to me HAD to be about 65...and she loved every minute of it.

ATONEMENT- deserves all the accolades, and deserves Best Picture at the Oscars. Wonderful, beautiful, fresh, and the first 50 minutes are cinematic perfection. I can't give this film enough praise. Not only are the technical elements exceptional [especially the typewriter-inspired score, and watch out for that nearly five minute single shot at Dunkirk. all i can really say: WOW], but the entire cast delivers incredible performance, and Keira Knightly is the best she's ever been in a wonderfully understated performance. A friend I went with, who LOATHES miss knightly, was actually very impressed with her by film's end.

And in response to BatInTheBelfry's side note, I think the whole I-have-an-issue-with-your-accent thing has to do completely with the actor or film. Sweeney Todd is a musical, and Johnny Depp is perceived as a god, so he can get away with about anything. Tom Cruise on the other hand...

(Reply to this)

jasperoosterveld writes:
on Dec 24 2007 12:26 AM

I saw I am legend this weekend in Imax and i thought it was amazing! The look is great and Will Smith is really good and the relationship with the dog is so sad. I really really enjoyed this movie, more then i was expecting!

And the prologue of Dark Knight was awesome

(Reply to this)

lamer writes:
on Dec 24 2007 12:54 AM

Well, that is big ****ing surprise. And hardly any love for the fresh rated films.

Crappit.

(Reply to this)

kobe8byrant writes:
on Dec 24 2007 03:36 AM

About Sweeney Todd, I thought I was the only one who thought it sucked. Especially after reading Roger Ebert's review who gave it 4 stars.

(Reply to this)

Thundaar writes:
on Dec 24 2007 04:19 AM

I am Legend was ok (Will Smith was exceptional) - but the CG villians ruined it for me. It seems like actors could have (and should have) been playing those parts. Too much CG for my tastes.

(Reply to this)

MMacKK writes:
on Dec 24 2007 04:59 AM

Face it, the general Movie going Public are idiots. That's why these sites aren't littered with people to the point of exhaustion.

They know nothing.

(Reply to this)

Novastar. writes:
on Dec 24 2007 05:42 AM

I am Legend is mediocre.Will smith was great in it,but the movie itself was flat.A missed opportunity that's what this movie is.

Nicholas cage is the most enigmatic actor in Hollywood.One time he makes a good movie and other times he takes any script he can find on his desk.And his acting is also weird at times,while we all know that he has the capacity to be a good actor.

As a friend of mine said once:'Why is cage acting like a retarded person,while he has to play a smart character'hehehehe

(Reply to this)

MyDearestFosca writes:
on Dec 24 2007 07:50 AM

A note to the marketers of Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD:

If you don't want to tell people that SWEENEY TODD is a musical, that's your business.

Just don't be surprised when people walk out before the film is done because they didn't pay ten dollars to watch Johnny Depp sing.

Wankers.

(Reply to this)

StupidSmurf writes:
on Dec 24 2007 08:02 AM

Aw, I liked National Treasure 2. I went into it with little expectations other than watching a bit of mindless family fun. And that's precisely what I got. Hey, finding a half-way decent family movie can be a chore, and this one was enjoyed by the entire family. No blood, no sex, no massive amounts of death, no f-bombs every other word (and it movies, those are some of my fay-vo-rite things). It was refreshing. Granted, my brain would turn to mush if that's the ONLY type of movie I saw, but it was great for what it was. I hope it does well, and provides incentive for a few more like it (on occasion, mind you). Beats the hell out of taking the family to see Calvin and the Sh*t-chunks.

(Reply to this)

AlbertBrodsky writes:
on Dec 24 2007 08:13 AM

I went to the 5:00 matinee of "Walk Hard" yesterday. There were about 10 of us in the movie theatre. That never helps the laughter. It had a lot of slooow sections. Some jokes just didn't work, and those that did, I already knew about or saw on the previews. I made the mistake of listing to the NPR interview. I hate to say this, but wait for DVD on that one.

Johnny Deep isn't doing a british accent? Yeah, I think he was, just like he did in pirates. I saw the previews, it was clearly a british accent. It may not have been a good one, but I'm a stupid American, so how would I know the difference?

(Reply to this)

MattBaerFTW writes:
on Dec 24 2007 08:53 AM

im just wondering how the **** people didn't know sweeney was a musical i saw the trailer not knowing what sweeney todd was and i knew right then because of the singing it was going to be a musical(yeah the very first trailer released)... i mean come on they are ****ing idiots if they didnt know, it's not the marketing departments fault for not coming out and holding the ****ing hand of the people viewing the commercials or trailers...thats why i hate most the people in this country nowadays...they have no common sense or deductive reasoning skills.

(Reply to this)

Lighthope writes:
on Dec 24 2007 08:55 AM

In reply to this comment (#1389475)
> Where is the justice in this world that the Alvin and Chipmunks trash makes much more
> money in the opening weekend than the great Walk Hard movie. Where I say? That's almost
> enough to make me lose faith in what people deem to be good movies. Seriously.

Because children don't want to see Walk Hard (and apparently no one wants to see Golden Compass), so Alvin and the Chipmunks seems their only option.

Lighthope

Pearls of Wisdom - Press any key...NO, NO, NO, NOT THAT ONE!!!!!!

--== TIGERS' QUEST - www.tigersquest.com
--== THE DOCTOR WHO AUDIO DRAMAS - www.dwad.net
--== A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - http://christmas.dwad.net

(Reply to this)

Darklighter writes:
on Dec 24 2007 09:49 AM

I would have seen Sweeney but it's not showing anywhere near me. The big theater chain in my area put a press release on their Web site saying that they couldn't reach a deal with Paramount to show the film. I know a lot of people that wanted to see it but can't unless they drive an hour away. Whatever Paramount's problem is is the reason that Sweeney's numbers aren't as high as they should be.

(Reply to this)

brimoral writes:
on Dec 24 2007 10:23 AM

Who the heck wouldn't know about Sweeney Todd being a musical? I knew it was going to be a musical from...you know...the singing in the trailers.

(Reply to this)

acebandit22 writes:
on Dec 24 2007 10:31 AM

I saw I Am Legend opening weekend, and while I enjoyed the film, Will smith as actually the only problem for me. something about him just irks me. also, it seems to me that he thinks the only way to show emotion is to yell as loudly as he can. whenever he yelled (which was often) i just wanted to punch him, especially during the frank scene. who yells at a manican?

(Reply to this)

Related Links

National Treasure 2 : Book of Secrets

Related Articles

Most Discussed

Latest News

Latest Interviews

Latest Features

Sponsored Links