Top 10 for December 1-3, 2006 Summary: Sunday estimates are in.
The first weekend of December finished exactly like the last two weeks of November, with Thanksgiving leftovers Happy Feet and Casino Royale leading the top ten films once again as both pics cruised past the $100 million mark. New Line's overhyped The Nativity Story fizzled with a disappointing fourth place finish, while Fox's Turistas and MGM's Van Wilder debuted weakly in eighth and tenth respectively.
Warner's hit computer-animated penguin sing-along Happy Feet tapped its way to the top spot for the third straight weekend, matching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest as the only other film released in 2006 to top the charts for three consecutive weeks. Earning an estimated $17 million after feasting over Thanksgiving weekend, the $100 million budgeted picture has now grossed a phenomenal $121 million in three weeks, and seems headed toward at least $175 million domestically.
The global No. 1 film for the past three weeks has had to play second fiddle in North America, as Sony-MGM's Casino Royale once again finished a close second with an estimated $15.1 million, falling an understandable 51% from the Thanksgiving weekend. In three weeks, the $150 million budgeted Bond re-visioning has grossed an impressive $115.9 million, and is holding better than the top-grossing James Bond film Die Another Day, which fell 59% to finish with $12.8 million over the identical weekend in 2002. That Pierce Brosnan starrer finished with $160.9 million domestically, a number that Royale seems likely to break. Worldwide, Casino Royale broke past the $300 million mark, continuing to hold its No. 1 spot internationally.
Buena Vista's $75 million budgeted thriller Deja Vu slipped 46% to $8 million to finish in third place. In two weeks, the Denzel Washington starrer has grossed $44 million.
New Line's much-hyped The Nativity Story finished well below even the most pessimistic predictions debuting with an estimated $8 million, failing to capture the frenzy that took hold of Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ. Whereas Passion rode a wave of controversy and busloads of Evangelical Christians parking in front of cineplexes to the tune of $83.8 million, those same groups apparently stayed at home this weekend, as Nativity suffered from weak reviews and no buzz in averaging an anemic $2,521 in a wide 3,183 theaters.
Rounding out the top five was Fox's Deck the Halls, which fell 44% to an estimated $6.6 million. In two weeks, the teen pic has grossed $24.99 million. Fox's surprise comedy blockbuster Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan picked up another $4.8 million, pushing its five week cume to $116 million.
Among other debuts, Fox's poorly-reviewed horror pic Turistas slashed its way to just $3.5 million in 1,570 theaters and a $2,255 average. MGM's comedy Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj debuted in tenth with an estimated $2.3 million from 1,979 theaters for an even more pathetic $1,160 average.
Out of the top ten was DreamWorks' animated pic Flushed Away. Released by Paramount, the $150 million budgeted computer-animated comedy finished with an estimated $2.3 million, pushing its five week cume to a disappointing $60.1 million.
Thanks to the one-two punch of Happy Feet and Casino Royale, the top ten films grossed an estimated $76.9 million, up 5% from last year's comparable frame when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire held the top spot with $19.9 million.
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