Top 10 for November 10-12 , 2006 Summary: Final numbers are in.
Despite four newcomers last week's top three films retained their spots, with Fox's surprise smash-hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan dominating the weekend with $28.2 million. That's a 7% increase from last weekend's sizzling $26.4 million debut, thanks in large part to the addition of 1,729 theaters, up from an opening weekend theater count of 837. Budgeted at a modest $18 million, the Sacha Baron Cohen mockumentary about a Kazakh TV journalist averaged another incredible $11,302 per theater, pushing its ten day take to $67.1 million. With incredibly strong word of mouth, particularly among the under 25 crowd, Borat should cruise past the $100 million mark within the next two weeks, and could finish with $140-150 million domestically by the end of its run.
With the Holiday season closing in, Disney's Christmas pic The Santa Clause 3 held onto the No. 2 spot, falling a scant 13% to $16.9 million. In ten days the Tim Allen sequel has grossed a solid $41.1 million, and could reach $85-90 million domestically. That would put the film well below its two predecessors: 1994's The Santa Clause took in $144.8 million and 2002's The Santa Clause 2 finished with $139.2 million. Paramount's DreamWorks Animation release Flushed Away took in the third spot falling just 11% to $16.6 million. In ten days the computer-animated comedy has grossed $39.9 million, and should finish with roughly $90-100 million domestically.
Sony's Will Ferrell comedy Stranger Than Fiction debuted in a disappointing fourth with $13.4 million, averaging a top ten second-best $6,227 in a modest 2,264 theaters. Despite mostly positive reviews, the high concept comedy debut was Ferrell's weakest as a leading man since 1998's SNL spinoff A Night at the Roxbury. Co-starring Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the $30 million budgeted release should finish with $40 million domestically.
Sky-rocketing into the sixth spot was Paramount Vintage's drama Babel, which expanded from 36 to 1,251 theaters this weekend, earning $5.5 million. In three weeks, the well-reviewed Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett starrer has grossed $7.5 million.
Rogue Pictures' horror pic The Return debuted in a disappointing eighth with $4.48 million, averaging a sickly $2,405 in 1,986 theaters. Starring horror genre queen Sarah Michelle Gellar, the debut was her worst since 1999's Simply Irresistible, and her first horror genre pic in five debuts to open lower than $15 million.
Fox's romantic comedy A Good Year opened with just $3.8 million in 2,066 theaters for a top ten worst $1,827 average. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, the film is the second worst debut of Crowe's career, just ahead of 1999's Mystery, Alaska with $3.1 million. MGM's urban actioner Harsh Times opened out of the top ten with an estimated $1.8 million in 956 theaters.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $107.4 million, virtually equal to last year's comparable frame when Chicken Little held onto the top spot with $31.7 million.
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