Happy Thanksgiving to all you American Black Sheeper's out there! Let's take a look at what you served yourselves up for dinner this week. From the looks of it, you really liked what was on the menu last weekend as the Top 3 are unchanged despite Hollywood's hearty holiday helpings. TWILIGHT: NEW MOON dropped off by 70% but when you've scored $230 million domestically in two weeks, who is going to say anything? Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock vehicle, THE BLINDSIDE, actually improved on last weekend's numbers, showing that people still like that warm fuzzy feeling with their turkey. And for a disaster pic, 2012 continues to avoid its own disaster with a slight 31% decline.
Apparently OLD DOGS is no WILD HOGS. The follow up from the director of the 2008 blockbuster was not able to deliver again as OLD DOGS didn't even break the $20 million mark. With intense competition coming up, word of mouth will not be able to save this one. I guess it's time for some new tricks after all. Then again, new tricks aren't necessarily interesting to anyone either. James McTeigue's follow-up to V FOR VENDETTA, NINJA ASSASSINS, barely got any notice. Maybe the ninjas were too stealth for their own good.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX expanded to mild results, finishing in ninth place. It will need serious word of mouth to get anywhere at this point. And even though PRECIOUS dropped off a little amidst all the competition and the likely need to avoid its harshness during the holiday, it has still still taken in over $32 million without screening on more than 700 screens. And awards season hasn't even started yet!
Outside of the Top 10, the post-apocalyptic Oscar hopeful, THE ROAD scored a solid $13K per screen average on 111 screens to finish in 11th place. After the official numbers come in, it might overtake THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS, as their total takes are only $10K apart, THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE, directed by Rebecca Miller, features an Oscar contending performance by Robin Wright (she has dropped the Penn) but she will have to work the circuit hard after the tepid $8K per screen average it scored this weekend. Zac Efron should be happy with the solid $16K per screen debut of his first serious role in ME AND ORSON WELLES, where he plays a young Orson. But it is Disney who should be leaping like frogs this weekend as their first 2D animated film in over a decade, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, debuted to record grosses in platform release, pulling in $356K per screen average on just 2 screens. The film goes wide on December 11.
NEXT WEEK: Jim Sheridan's drama, BROTHERS, and the Robert Deniro family holiday film, EVERYBODY'S FINE open on 2200 screens. Something I've never heard (bad critic!), ARMORED, opens on 1900 screens. And indie flicks, SERIOUS MOONLIGHT and UP IN THE AIR, from JUNO director, Jason Reitman, start their limited runs.
Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO